Hotaru Riddle
by AngelMeroko
Summary: Harry Potter has been raised with the illegitimate daughter of Voldemort. How will Harry react when he realizes his best friend is the daughter of the man who killed his parents? Will their friendship last? -REWRITTEN-
1. Chapter 1

A/N: This story is currently under construction! I am redoing the chapters to make them longer and am going to be adding new ones as well.

Professor Albus Dumbledore, Headmaster of Hogwarts School of witchcraft and wizardry, stood at the end of Privet drive. In his left arm, he held a child wrapped in black swaddling clothes. In his right hand he held, what looked like a lighter. However, when he raised the lighter and clicked, one of the lights from the lamp post went out and was sucked into the lighter. He did this until there was no more lit lamp posts on the street and it was relatively dark. Now, the only light that shone was the light from the full moon and the stars.

He began to walk down the street toward Number 4 Privet Drive. When he got there, he looked at the hood of the, expensive looking car. On it, was perched a tabby cat with rather peculiar markings around its eyes.

"Good evening, Professor McGonagall." Dumbledore said, with a twinkle in his eye. "I imagined I would be meeting you here."

The cat stared intently at Dumbledore, then at the bundle of black cloth in his arm.

The cat jumped off of the car and morphed into a rather stern looking old woman. She proceeded to walk over to where Dumbledore was standing, smiling merrily.

"Albus," she began sternly. "Have you heard what is going on? Every wizard in the world is going crazy. Wearing cloaks right on the muggle streets, sending owls all over, at all times, Albus, it is preposterous! I have been watching the muggle news and these things are most certainly _not_ going unnoticed –"

But her rant was stopped short but Dumbledore holding up his hand.

"And yet, we have had precious little to celebrate over the past few years...should they not be allowed to rejoice... now that Voldemort is gone?"

McGonagall flinched at the name.

"Oh honestly Minerva, it is just the name of the man, not him, himself." Dumbledore said, slightly amused, as always.

"_Yes_, but –" she was interrupted once more, but this time by the cry of a child.

She looked abruptly at the dark bundle.

"Albus...is that...?" she asked breathlessly.

"No, Minerva, it is not Harry Potter. It is Hotaru Riddle, the daughter of Lord Voldemort."

McGonagall gasped, and her eyes widened.

"I – I didn't know you-know-who had a daughter." She said, still a little startled.

"Neither did I, until today. Her mother came to me soon after the Potter incident, begging me to take her daughter and hide her from Voldemort. I have a letter here for the muggles explaining her." Dumbledore said.

"You mean, you are going to leave Harry here, not only with muggles...but with the daughter of the man who _murdered_ his parents?"

Dumbledore leaned closer to McGonagall, the light from the moon bouncing eerily off of his eyes.

"Do you have any idea who this child's mother is Minerva?"

McGonagall silently shook her head.

"Who, Albus?"

"Athena, the Queen of Saturn."

McGonagall gasped once more.

"But... I thought all life on the other planets was snuffed out Albus. How...?"

"The answer is quite simple Minerva." Albus answered. "We were wrong, there is still life on the other planets. But they are getting weaker. Athena told me this, the Princess's of the Solar system shall gather at Hogwarts when the 11th year of the Saturnian Princess comes."

There was silence for a time, until McGonagall spoke once more.

"When will Harry be here?"

"Any minute, I have Hagrid bringing him."

"Albus, do you think it is wise, trusting Hagrid with something as important as this?" McGonagall asked incredulously.

"I would trust Hagrid with my life Minerva." Dumbledore said, just as a shining, bright light appeared in the sky.

"Ah, here he is now."

The light got bigger and soon turned into the headlight of a giant motorcycle. It landed and a giant man got up, off of it.

"Ev'nin' Professor McGonagall and Professor Dumbledore, sir." Hagrid greeted them.

"I trust you brought the child." Dumbledore said.

"Yup, little tyke fell asleep as we was flyin' over the lake." Hagrid said, handing over a bundle of white swaddling to Dumbledore.

His eyes teared up and he began to sniffle a bit.

"Don't worry Hagrid, it's not forever."

He eyed the black swaddling.

"Wha's tha'?" he asked.

"This is Hotaru Riddle, she is going to be living with Harry, with the Dursleys."

"Hotaru Riddle, eh?"

"She is the daughter of you-know-who Hagrid." McGonagall said.

Hagrid gasped, much like McGonagall had.

"An' she's stayin' in the same house wi' Harry?" he demanded.

"Yes Hagrid." Dumbledore said evenly.

Hagrid just stood there with his mouth opening and closing, like a fish out of water.

Dumbledore, however, began walking toward the front door of the house.

"Albus, do you think it wise to leave him here with these people? I have been watching them all day, they are the worst sort of muggles, and they are-"

"The only family he has left." Dumbledore finished for her. "Don't worry Minerva. He will be fine here."

"But in our world he will be famous! There won't be a child who doesn't know his name!"

"Exactly, he is far better growing up away from all of that."

"...What about the girl Albus?" McGonagall asked.

Albus looked down at the little girl, with a sad look in his eyes.

"She will be safer here than anywhere else... from Voldemort. How safe from the muggles, I cannot say."

Dumbledore bent down and set the two babies on the doorstep, along with two letters. One sealed with the Hogwarts crest and one with the symbol of Saturn.

"All we can hope for is that Voldemort does not know where she is." Dumbledore said ruefully.

Hagrid flinched at the mention of the name Voldemort, as did McGonagall. He got back on his motorcycle and flew away into the night sky. Professor McGonagall morphed back into a cat and jumped over a fence and disappeared into the night.

Dumbledore walked down the street. Once he reached the end, he held up his lighter, and clicked it once. All the lights instantly flew back to their respective lamp posts. And Albus Dumbledore disappeared with a crack.

**-TEN YEARS LATER-**

"Get up!" Petunia growled, rapping on the door. "_Up_, now!"

Harry groaned and rolled over.

"C'mon 'Taru, it's time to get up." Harry said groggily.

The frail body beside him stirred a bit then sat up. She rubbed her eyes and began to get up.

"C'mon Harry. Let's go before Petunia-"she stopped in mid sentence. "Let's just go."

Harry wondered what she was about to say, but went with her anyways without saying anything about it. He knew from experience that if Hotaru didn't want to talk about something it was best to just leave it alone.

They made their way out of the cupboard and into the kitchen right away Aunt Petunia whisked Harry away to make bacon, And Hotaru to make eggs.

"And don't you _dare_ let them burn." She warned them with a glare. "I want everything to be perfect, for little Duddy's big day!" she said, as she went over to ruffle Dudley's hair, who was sitting at the table trying to count his birthday presents. Key word: 'trying' as he was struggling to count past 12.

"Aren't they wonderful darling?" she asked him.

"How many are there?" Dudley asked greedily.

"Thirty-six, counted them m'self." Uncle Vernon, who was sitting in his favorite chair, answered.

"Thirty-six? But last year, I had thirty-seven!" Dudley yelled, enraged.

"Well, some of them are quite a bit bigger then last time..." Uncle Vernon said.

"I don't care how big they are!"

Hotaru and Harry, sensing there would be a temper tantrum, put the bacon and eggs on a plate on the counter and wolfed down their bread and cheese that Petunia had set out for them. Aunt Petunia seemed to have the same idea.

"Well, when we go out we will get you 2 new presents, how is that darling?" she said sweetly.

"Then I'll have, thirty...thirty..."

"Thirty-nine."

"Alright then." Dudley said with a smug look on his face as he sent a self-satisfied smirk in Harry's direction, which Harry ignored. Hotaru's leg hit the leg of the table as she left to the cupboard, and winced. Harry gave her a worried look, but decided it was just because she hit her leg. Hotaru was, after all, rather frail. However, she was more pale as of late, then usual. As Hotaru got halfway across the room, the doorbell rang.

"Go and get it girl!" Vernon snarled.

Hotaru began walking but slipped on her over-sized jeans. They had to be rolled up 6 times and they were still too long. Hotaru squeaked and walked quickly out of the room and got the door. When she returned she had Dudley's friend, Piers with her. Piers was grinning at Hotaru. And Harry shuddered at the thoughts going through his head. Everyone knew of Piers' reputation. And it _wasn't_ a good one, despite being only 12 (one year older than Dudley).

"What are we going to do with..._them_?" Uncle Vernon said, spitting the word 'them' out with venom, as Dudley started talking with Piers.

"What about Mrs. Figg?" asked Aunt Petunia.

"She tripped on one of her cats and broke her leg." Uncle Vernon said flatly.

Harry over heard them talking.

"You could leave us here..." he said hopefully, glancing a look at Hotaru. She was looking down at the ground. Maybe, they could have a go at Dudley's computer.

"And come back to the house in shambles? What, do you think I am stupid?" Uncle Vernon said with a scowl.

"I wouldn't blow up the house," Harry said defensively. "And neither would Hotaru."

At this remark, Uncle Vernon gave Hotaru a mysterious look.

"We will have to take them with us." Uncle Vernon said after a minute's silence.

"But I don't _want_ them to go!" Dudley yelled.

"Well that's _too bad_!" Uncle Vernon roared, rubbing his temples.

Dudley backed away. His father _never_ yelled at him.

Within 15 minutes they were all piling in the car to go to the library. Piers grinned as he scooted in next to Hotaru. The look on his face made Harry's blood boil. But seeing as there was nothing he could do about it, he had to simply sit by and watch.

They finally pulled into the parking lot for the zoo, and piled out of the car. They went to the entrance and Uncle Vernon paid the fee with a sour look on his face.

The lady at the gate offered Dudley and Piers ice cream cones. And before Uncle Vernon could get them away, she extended the invitation to Harry and Hotaru. So Uncle Vernon got them a cheap lemon pop. Minutes later, Dudley complained about being hungry. So Aunt Petunia steered them into an ice cream parlor.

Dudley ordered a giant chocolate ice cream, chocolate and candy parfait, Piers got a fudgesicle. However, when it got there, Dudley complained that there wasn't enough ice cream in his parfait. So Uncle Vernon ordered him another one. And Harry was allowed to share the first one with Hotaru. They both grinned at their good luck and ate the parfait.

When they were done, they went to see the lions, tigers and bears. Soon, however, Dudley and Piers got tired of looking at the animals. And Harry feared they would take to their favorite pastime...chasing Harry and Hotaru. He was semi-relieved when they said they wanted to go to the reptile house... but he was still on the alert.

It didn't take Dudley too long, after they got to the reptile house, to find the largest snake in there. He leaned up, really close to the glass and watched it. When it didn't move, he began whining.

"Make it move!" he ordered.

Uncle Vernon rapped on the glass with his knuckle.

"Move!" he yelled.

The snake just laid there. It could have been dead and no one would ever know the difference.

"He's asleep" Harry said semi-sharply.

"Ugh, he's boring..." Dudley said annoyed. And he and Piers walked off to look at other reptiles.

Harry and Hotaru walked up to the glass.

"Sorry about him. He doesn't know what it's like, day after day, with people sticking their ugly faces in on you, day after day." Harry said with a scowl.

Suddenly, the snake lifted its head until it was eye-level with Harry.

"Can you _hear_ me?" he asked incredulously. He looked over at Hotaru and saw that she was staring as well.

"Do you...well do you talk to people often?" Hotaru asked the snake. Now the snake looked at her, and shook its head.

"You're from Burma aren't you?" Harry asked.

"Was it nice there, do you miss your family?" Hotaru said.

The snake jabbed its tail toward the sign in the left hand corner of the glass.

'Specimen was bred in captivity'

"I see-" Harry began, but he was interrupted by Dudley yelling.

"Dad, dad, come look, you won't _believe_ what this snake is doing!"

Dudley came barreling over, and knocked Harry and Hotaru to the floor as he pushed his hands and face up against the glass.

Harry shook him head and looked over at Hotaru to see if she was alright. She had short breaths. It looked like the wind had been knocked out of her. Rage welled up inside Harry and he focused all his anger into his fixated glare and Dudley. Before he knew what happened, the glass disappeared and Dudley fell through the display, yelling.

The snake slithered out.

"Thankssss amigo, amiga." It said. "Brazil, here I come!"

"No problem..." Harry said breathlessly.

There was distinct screamed as the snake got further through the park. Harry heard a muffled yelling. He and Hotaru looked back up at the display, and Dudley was trapped inside. Somehow the glass had re-appeared.

Aunt Petunia and Uncle Vernon came running.

"Oh, my darling boy!" Aunt Petunia screamed.

Harry and Hotaru began laughing. Uncle Vernon heard them and sent them a death glare.

Twenty minutes later, the manager of the reptile house had gotten Dudley out of the display. He had brought them all into his office and apologized profusely to Aunt Petunia and Uncle Vernon. He gave them some coffee. And gave Dudley a blanket, then they started home, after they dropped off Piers. When they got home, Uncle Vernon took Harry by the ear, and Hotaru by the arm and dragged them to their cupboard.

"What happened?" he seethed.

"I swear, we don't know! One minute the glass was there and then it was gone, it was like magic!" Harry yelled.

Hotaru held her breath. He had said the 'M-word'. The rage in Uncle Vernon's eyes deepened.

"There is no such thing as magic!" he hissed as he threw them in the cupboard and slammed the door shut, locking it in the process.

"No meals for a week!" he yelled, slamming and locking the cupboard door shut.

A/N: I am making MAJOR changes with this story! You guys, if you ready this story previously, I am filling a LOT of things in. So you will want to read the whole thing over again. :D


	2. Chapter 2

"Harry?" Hotaru whispered. They had been locked in the cupboard for the whole day since the incident with the snake at the Zoo.

"Yeah, Hotaru?" Harry answered.

"What happened at the zoo? How come we could talk to the snake?"

There was silence for a few minutes.

"Harry?" Hotaru whispered again.

"I don't know Hotaru. It is kinda weird though..."

"I'm gonna go, and get some food... do you want anything Harry?"

"Uh... can you get me an ice cream sandwich? And bring in some bananas for tomorrow." Harry replied.

Hotaru nodded and broke the cupboard door open with a hanger and silently crept down the hall.

When she got back, she had two ice cream sandwiches, 2 bananas and an orange.

"This will have to last us through tomorrow." Hotaru said with a sigh.

Harry looked at her and once again marveled at how she managed to sneak around downstairs with the squeaky floor, and not wake the Dursleys.

"Thanks 'Taru." Harry said as he opened his ice cream sandwich.

"No problem." Hotaru answered with a wicked smirk. "I dunno why, but I get a rush breaking the rules."

"So do I 'Taru, so do I." Harry replied with a grin, as he lay down and rolled on his side.

"Night 'Taru." Harry said with a yawn.

"Night Harry..." Hotaru replied.

It had been ten minutes since Hotaru had said good night to Harry and she still couldn't sleep.

"Harry?" She whispered a little louder than a normal whisper would be.

"Yeah 'Taru?" Harry answered back.

"Do you think of your parents often?" she asked, knowing the answer.

"Of course 'Taru." Harry replied. "All the time. Sometimes I wonder what things would be like if they were here… I sure wouldn't be stuck here with the Dursleys." He finished with apparent dislike.

Hotaru stayed quiet for a few moments before responding. "I am glad I was dumped on the doorstep." She said, in a quiet voice.

"Why?" Harry asked, confused. He lifted himself up on one elbow and stared at her questioningly through the darkness.

"Because I don't know what they, my parents, would have been like… Imagine having an evil father." Hotaru said solemnly.

"More evil than Uncle Vernon?" Harry joked.

"Yep." Hotaru laughed a bit too. "But most of all, I am happy to be here because if I wasn't I would never have met you Harry. You are my best friend ever."

Harry gave Hotaru a hug, and whispered, "Me too, 'Taru."

Hotaru winced, but Harry didn't notice. Nor did he notice that where his arm had landed was covered in bruises.

"So what would you do if the person ran into your parents on purpose?" Hotaru asked, hypothetically.

"I would chase him down." Harry said seriously. "Imagine going to school with the kids of the people who killed your family. I wouldn't want to even look at them." Harry said, before he broke out in laughter. "Nah, I wouldn't treat them any differently. It wouldn't be their fault, right?"

"Right." Hotaru said, also giggling. Because of the darkness, she didn't see the glimmer of malice in Harry's eyes which showed that he was not joking at all.

"Well, better be getting to sleep 'Taru." Harry said, as he rolled over. "Night."

"Good night Harry." Hotaru said, as she lay in silence.

She waited until he was asleep and snuck out once more. She had always loved watching stars. She snuck into Dudley's room and took his telescope, as she normally did.

She snuck downstairs and outside, where she set it up and searched for Saturn. Her favorite planet.

Once she found it, she sighed with content. She stared at the shining planet in wonder before she took the telescope back to Dudley's room, and silently went back to the cupboard.

"G'night Harry." Hotaru whispered once more as she turned on her side and fell asleep with a smile on her face.

-----

Harry and Hotaru were finally allowed out of the cupboard. It was a week after the Zoo incident. When they walked into the kitchen, they were met with the odor of strong dye.

There Aunt Petunia was, stirring the contents of a large tin tub with a wooden spoon.

"What's that?" Harry chanced saying.

"Clothes for you and Hotaru." She replied shortly.

Harry peered into the tub.

"I am dying some of Dudley's old things grey for you and the girl. It is the code at your school." She grumbled.

"Everyone get in here!" Uncle Vernon yelled from the living room.

Aunt Petunia, along with Harry and Hotaru, came into the room. There in the middle of the room was Dudley in his new Smeltings uniform.

Aunt Petunia got all teary-eyed, and it was all Harry and Hotaru could do not to start laughing. Dudley looked rather funny in his new uniform, complete with a Smeltings certified stick.

He strutted down the middle of the room and then back to the middle.

"Oh, my little Duddy-kins is growing up!" Aunt Petunia cried.

After a few minutes Harry and Hotaru were in the kitchen cooking breakfast. As usual, it consisted of bacon, eggs, and pancakes.

When they finished cooking, they took the food carefully to the table and set it down in the middle. Then they set the table.

"Breakfast is ready!" Harry yelled wearily.

Dudley came running and sat down, and then came Aunt Petunia and finally, Uncle Vernon.

During breakfast, the mail came.

"Dudley, go get the mail." Uncle Vernon grunted.

"Make Harry get it." Dudley said with a pout.

"Get the mail Harry."

"Make Dudley get it." He replied saucily.

"Hit him with your stick Dudley." Uncle Vernon grunted again.

Harry got up, dodged the stick and went to get the post.

On his way back he looked through it.

"Bill, bill, junk, letter for me, letter for Hotaru..." he muttered. Then he paused. He looked at the two letters.

'This can't be right..." he thought.

He checked the address on the back of the envelopes.

'Harry Potter, Number 4 Privet Drive, The cupboard under the stairs, Surrey.'

He checked Hotaru's and it said the same.

Both were sealed with wax and had a crest with an 'H' with animals around it.

He hid them in his shirt and walked back into the dining room.

Harry walked back into the dining room and handed the mail to Uncle Vernon...all except for the two letters which he brought back to his seat. He discreetly handed Hotaru hers and began to open his. Just as he was breaking the seal, Dudley happened to glance over.

He grabbed it and ran over to Uncle Vernon.

"Dad, look, Harry's got something!"

"Hey, that's _mine_!" Harry said angrily.

"Yours, who would be writing to _you_?" Uncle Vernon said with a chuckle. He stopped short when he saw the seal on the envelope. He just sat there opening and closing his mouth like a fish on land.

"Petunia... Petunia! Everyone else out! Get out!" Uncle Vernon yelled.

As Hotaru and Harry were leaving along with Dudley, the letter fell from the folds of Hotaru's oversized tee-shirt. Her eyes widened and she dropped to pick it up. But Uncle Vernon dove for the letter and got it out of Hotaru's hand.

"OUT!" he roared.

He threw Hotaru into Harry and they tumbled out the door.

He slammed the door and stomped back to the table.

"What is it Vernon?" Aunt Petunia asked in a slightly worried voice.

Uncle Vernon handed the letters to her. She took them and looked at the seal, and gasped.

"Vernon..." she muttered. "It's that school." She said sneering at the envelope, and throwing it on the table.

"Yes Petunia... but I thought we had stomped it out of them!" Uncle Vernon said with a scowl.

"How can we stop them from going Vernon?" Aunt Petunia asked.

"We will simply not allow them to get the letters. Eventually they will stop coming...right?" Uncle Vernon asked Aunt Petunia hopefully.

"I hope so Vernon, I don't want two freaks living in my house period...let alone two trained freaks..." Aunt Petunia muttered.

As they talked, outside the door were Harry and Hotaru. They were trying to listen in on Uncle Vernon and Aunt Petunia. But they couldn't hear them. Harry chanced opening the door a little bit. And just as he did, he saw Uncle Vernon chuck the two letters in the fire place.

Disappointment bubbled within him as he quietly closed the door again.

"Well?" Hotaru asked.

"He threw them in the fire." Harry replied dully.

"Oh..." Hotaru said; the disappointment noticeable in her voice.

They began to walk back the cupboard. They got in and closed the door.

"Wonder what was in those letters..." Hotaru said with a sigh.

"Well, it isn't gonna do us any good thinking about it. So let's just forget about them." Harry suggested.

Hotaru nodded and sat down in the corner. She put on some headphones and hit play on the CD player.

After a few minutes Harry looked over and his eyes widened.

He tugged the cord and Hotaru hit pause.

"Yes Harry?" Hotaru asked innocently.

"What are you doing with Dudley's headphones?!" Harry hissed. "You are gonna get in so much trouble if the Dursleys find out!"

Hotaru grinned at him.

"They won't find out Harry."

"How do you know?"

"Because I am going to put them back before they are missed. So don't be such a worry wart." Hotaru said smirking.

Several minutes passed by in silence.

Harry finally got hungry and was going to attempt to sneak into the kitchen as he had not finished dinner.

He slowly opened the door and got out. Though right as he was opening the door to the kitchen, he ran into Uncle Vernon.

Harry stepped back.

"Why did you burn my letter?" Harry demanded the moment Uncle Vernon was through the door.

"Who is writing to Hotaru and me?"

"No one, they were sent here by mistake." Uncle Vernon growled.

"It was _not_ a mistake. It had our cupboard on it!" Harry yelled indignantly.

"SILENCE!" Uncle Vernon yelled so loud the pictures on the wall shook slightly.

He took a few deep breaths and forced his face into a smile, which looked quite painful.

"Er—Yes Harry, --About the cupboard... Your aunt and I have been thinking...you and the girl are really getting too big for both of you to be in it... We think it might be nice if you move into Dudley's second bedroom.

"Both of us?" Harry asked hopefully.

"No, just you." Uncle Vernon replied.

"Why?" Harry asked.

"Don't ask questions!" snapped his uncle. "Just take this stuff upstairs, now!"

Harry walked back to cupboard to find Hotaru sitting at the door, listening.

"You're moving out." Hotaru said blandly.

"Yeah..._Dudley's_ 2nd room." Harry said with a dirty look on his face.

"It is still a room." Hotaru said. "And you don't have to share it with anyone." She added.

"I suppose. But it will probably be rather lonely." Harry pointed out.

"Well, you might as well pack up and go then." Hotaru said, turning around and putting on her headphones once more.

Harry sighed and picked up what little belongings he had and left the cupboard, for his new room.

Hotaru watched as Harry trudged upstairs, her throat swelling with emotion. Ever since they had first come here, she had never been alone. Harry had always been right there with her. But now he was gone. Well, of course he was right upstairs and she could go visit him any time she wanted, but it just wasn't the same. She never knew it was possible to feel so alone, but now she felt more alone than ever before.

------

Harry walked down the hall to his new room. He opened the door and was met by the sight of a room filled with broken computers and video games. A broken video camera, a broken bike and several broken game consoles. There was also a bookshelf full of books and a bed with a chest of drawers. All in all, the room was a disaster.

He dumped his armful of things on the bed and sat down, looking around the room. He lay back on his bed and heaved a sigh. He felt so alone in this room. He hadn't even been gone an hour and he already missed Hotaru.

He covered his face with his hand and fell asleep.

------

Hotaru walked into Harry's new room and found him asleep.

"What the heck are you sleeping at noon for...?" Hotaru said with a smile and a little grin.

She put down some stuff that he forgot, on his bed for him and quietly left the room. The Dursley's had gone out for the day and Hotaru thought it best to let Harry sleep as he had not slept very much the night before. Hotaru could live off of little sleep, but she knew that Harry could not.

She slipped into Dudley's room, turned on the computer and began playing video games.

Several hours later, at around 9:30, Hotaru heard the front door open. She quickly turned off the computer and made her way, quietly to the bathroom to wait for the Dursley's to go to sleep.

After around 30 minutes, she heard a few doors shut, and thought it safe to go out. She walked into Harry's room and saw him looking out the window.

------

Harry woke up to the sound of doors slamming shut. He sat up and looked around. It was dark out.

'How long was I asleep...?' he looked at a clock, it read: 10:00 PM.

"10 o'clock?" he whispered. "My sleep schedule is officially screwed." Harry muttered, as he got up and walked to the window. He slid the window up and looked into the perfectly clear night sky. He saw one specific star that caught his eye. As he peered at it more closely, he jumped as he heard a voice right behind him.

"Saturn is beautiful tonight, isn't it Harry?" Hotaru stated as though Harry had known she was there all along.

"S-Saturn?" Harry stuttered, still in shock.

"Yes, that planet way up there..." Hotaru said, motioning to the star Harry had been looking at. "It is my favorite planet."

"I have always been rather partial to Earth." Harry said with a laugh. He stopped laughing as he turned to see Hotaru's sober face, her eyes wide.

"Something is going to happen Harry, and I think it has something to do with those letters." Hotaru said with a creepy laugh, and an insane grin. "Something about being near that letter made me feel stronger."

"Um... Hotaru, You're scaring me." Harry said cautiously. "I think you should go to bed now."

"Okay Harry..." Hotaru said with a sigh. "G'night." She said with a wave as she walked out, and crept down the stairs.

"G'night Hotaru..." Harry said as she climbed into his bed and tried to fall asleep once more...

**--- DREAM ---**

A voice hissed from the shadows.

"_Find my daughter..._"

"We must find the Dark Lord's heir... no matter what." Another voice said.

A young voice answered the first voice.

"Yes Father."

**---- END DREAM ----**

The scene faded out and Hotaru woke up with a start.

-----------------

A/N: Chapter two!


	3. Chapter 3

Hotaru sat bolt upright.

"A dream..." she murmured. "But it seemed so... real."

She leaned against the wall, thinking about the dream she had just had. Who was 'Voldemort'? Did something happen to his daughter? Who were the two people talking?

Her mind was reeling with unanswered questions. There was only one way to get her mind off of it. She snuck outside and walked to a ridge that overlooked a pond. There was a clear sky tonight and she could see the stars very well, as she was a ways away from the subdivision.

She lay down with her arms crossed under her head, creating a pillow type cushioning. She scanned the sky searching for a certain star...or rather, planet.

After a few short minutes of searching, she finally spotted it.

"Saturn..." she muttered.

"The stars are beautiful tonight aren't they?" a voice came from behind her.

Hotaru jump slightly, then relaxed, as she knew the voice.

"They are beautiful every night Harry." Hotaru replied dreamily.

Harry laid down next to Hotaru, in the same fashion as her.

"How did you manage to sneak out Harry?" Hotaru asked after several moments of silence.

"_Very_ carefully." Harry said seriously.

Hotaru began to giggle.

"Do you..." Hotaru began, then stopped.

"Do I what, 'Taru?" Harry asked.

Hotaru looked at the stars with a glazed expression.

"Do you ever wish that... that you were from a different planet? That you weren't here on Earth?" Hotaru asked. "Stupid question I know." She quickly added.

"No it isn't, and yes, there are times when I wish I was from..." Harry trailed off.

"Yes, Harry?" Hotaru said with a slight grin.

"Sometimes I pretend I am from the moon, okay? At times I wish I _was_ from the moon... Anywhere but here at the Dursleys, ya know?"

"Yeah, I understand where you are coming from..." Hotaru said.

"Well, how about you?" Harry asked.

"What about me?" Hotaru asked with a fake confused voice.

"Do you wish you were from some other planet?"

"Yes." Hotaru said simply.

"Well, which one?" Harry asked.

"Saturn." Hotaru said in a dazed sounding voice.

"Why Saturn?"

"Because… I don't know. Don't laugh at me." Hotaru said, her brown eyes glinting.

"Alright." Harry said, gulping. When Hotaru became like this she kind of freaked him out.

"I sometimes feel like I wasn't meant to be here. I mean, I wasn't meant to be here, on Earth. I should have been somewhere else."

"What do you mean?"

"I don't know, born on another planet… Like I wasn't meant to be here, but at the same time I was. It is all very confusing."

"But what would make you think that?"

"What is with all the questions Harry?" Hotaru asked in a slightly annoyed voice.

Harry knew that voice all too well. Hotaru was nice and all most of the time but... at this time of night you don't want to annoy her or it could get violent.

"We should be getting back..." Hotaru muttered after a few minutes silence.

"Good idea." Harry agreed.

The both stood and walked back to the house.

"Goodnight Harry." Hotaru whispered.

"G' night 'Taru." Harry whispered back. And with that Hotaru went into her cupboard and Harry somehow snuck back upstairs and into his room.

-----------------------

AngelMeroko: Yup, that is the end of yet another short chapter.

Harry: What? No way, that whole chapter was basically a few pages say nothing at all!

Hotaru: Yes, incredibly enough, Harry is correct.

AngelMeroko: Well what should I do then?

Harry/Hotaru: Hmmm... bloopers!!

AngelMeroko: Well, that is a kinda good idea. Should I have bloopers after every chapter?

Harry: Yeah!

AngelMeroko: But should I really put in some of the bloopers Harry... :P

Harry: O.o

Hotaru: HAH! Yeah, put em in Jess.

Harry: Uh oh...

--------

-BLOOPERS-

Act 1, Take one:

-Hotaru sits bolt upright-

AngelMeroko: Action!

Hotaru: sits up

-BOOM-

AngelMeroko: CUT!!!

Hotaru: OWWW, I hit my head on the stupid low ceiling!!! Oh, curse you, you inanimate object! -pulls out glaive-

AngelMeroko: Hotaru! NO glaive, you aren't supposed to even know you are Sailor Saturn!

Hotaru: Curses!

Harry: HAH!

Hotaru: I shall crush your bones into dust!

AngelMeroko: Harry, get BACK to your room NOW!

Harry: I'm going...

Hotaru: -glare-

------------

Act 1, Take 15:

AngelMeroko: heavy sigh action!

-Hotaru sat bolt upright-

Hotaru: A dream... but it seemed so real.

-leans against the wall-

-rip-

Hotaru: AH!

AngelMeroko: CUT! Ah, cursed cheap backgrounds!

Hotaru: -glare-

---------------

Act 2, Take 1:

AngelMeroko: Action!

-Hotaru walks across a field to get to the pond-

Dog: Bark, bark, bark!

Hotaru: Silence beast!

-boom, flash-

AngelMeroko: CUT! ...Hotaru, you fried the dog... wait, no, not fried. Obliterated it.

Saturn: That will teach it to bark at me...

AngelMeroko: Yeah, I am sure it will never bark at _anyone_ again...

-------------

Act 3, Take 1:

Hotaru is looking at the night sky

AngelMeroko: Action!

Hotaru: Saturn...

Harry: The stars are beautiful tonight aren't they...-trips falls down the hill-

-Crash-

AngelMeroko: -sweat drop- CUT!

Harry: Ahhhh- Owwwww...

Hotaru: Stupid Earthling...

AngelMeroko: Take 5...

-------------------------

Act 3, take 43:

-Hotaru looking at the sky.-

AngelMeroko: And...Action!

Hotaru: Saturn...

Harry: The stars are beautiful tonight, aren't they? -sits down-

Hotaru: The stars are beautiful every night Harry.

Harry: -lays down- AHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!

AngelMeroko: CUT!!!!!!! For the 43rd time! What is it _this_ time Harry?!

Harry: There is a snake in my shirt!!

AngelMeroko: -yells backstage- Who lost a snake?!

Draco: Oh, Nyoka...so _that's_ where you were...

Harry: He did that on purpose

Draco:- high fives Hotaru-

Hotaru: score.

Harry: -pouts-

------------------

Act 4, take 3:

AngelMeroko: Action!

Hotaru: How did you sneak out anyways, Harry?

Harry: Very carefully...

Hotaru: Do you...

Harry: Do I what 'Taru?

Hotaru: o.o

Harry: Oh my God! She went into shock!!!

AngelMeroko: CUT!! And get the Paramedics on here STAT!

------------------------------

That is the end of the bloopers, as Harry has destroyed the rest of them...

Hotaru: Aw MAN! We were just getting to the good parts...-demon face-

Harry: First of all Hotaru, good parts is to you, as is not is to me.

Hotaru: ...riiiight.

AngelMeroko: Sorry about the long time for this chapter getting out. I will try to get the next chapter out soon Ja!

Harry: review!

Hotaru:-transforms into Sailor Saturn, points glaive at you- Or else...-death glare-


	4. Chapter 4

The next day, when the post arrived, Uncle Vernon, who seemed to be trying to be nice to Harry and Hotaru, sent Dudley to get it. They heard him banging his Smeltings stick all the way down the hall. Then he shouted,

"There's two more! Mr. H. Potter, The Smallest Bedroom, 4 Privet drive, Surrey and Miss H.-"

With a strangling cry, Uncle Vernon had leapt from his chair and ran down the hall, Harry right behind him, with Hotaru following behind. Uncle Vernon had to wrestle Dudley to get the letters out of his hand, which was made harder by Harry hanging from his neck from behind, Hotaru was just standing behind watching, and waiting for a chance to possibly steal the letters from Dudley's fat fist.

After a minute of confused fighting, in which everyone involved got hit by the Smelting stick, Uncle Vernon stood straight up, gasping for breath, with Harry's and Hotaru's letters clutched in his hand.

"Go to your cupboard – I mean bedroom." He wheezed at Harry. "And you-"he said pointing at Hotaru. "Get to your cupboard...now! And Dudley, - go - just go."

Hotaru walked to the cupboard, closed the door, sat down, and began meditating.

Harry, however, stormed up to his room and began walking round and round in circles in his new room. Someone knew that he had moved out of the cupboard and they seemed to know that neither he nor Hotaru had received their first letters. Surely that meant that they would try again? And this time he'd make sure they didn't fail. He had a plan.

Meanwhile, downstairs in the cupboard, Hotaru was thinking of what to do. She knew that what Harry would most likely try would never work. The Dursleys knew him too well, and would therefore, foresee his line of action. She would try to think of something. However, he was going to be on his own in the morning, as Hotaru was not a morning person.

After a few hours, of thinking, but no ideas coming, Hotaru decided to sleep on it.

She lay down her head and fell asleep.

The repaired alarm clock rang at six o'clock the next morning. Harry turned it off quickly and dressed silently. He mustn't wake the Dursleys. He stole downstairs without turning on any of the lights.

He was going to wait for the postman on the corner of Privet Drive and get the letters for Privet Drive first. His heart hammered as he crept across the dark hall towards the front door –

"AAAAARRRGH!"

Harry jumped a foot in the air – he had walked over something big and squashy on the doormat – something alive!

Lights clicked on upstairs and to his horror, Harry realized that the big squashy thing had been his uncles face. Uncle Vernon had clearly been lying on the floor in front of the door, to keep Harry from doing what he intended to do.

--

"_My Lord, she has been found."_

"_What?" said a hissing __voice.__ "Where is she?"_

"_She was found living in a house with... muggles." __Said the man, saying the last word like a curse word._

"_What?!__ Did you get her out of there?" the hissing voice asked with an angry tone. _

"_We couldn't get close to the house my Lord. Dumbledore put a spell on it. We cannot break it." He said the name Dumbledore with a hint of venom. _

_There was a silence then, "Crucio."_

_And the man's screams echoed throughout the countryside._

_----_

Hotaru awoke with a start. She had had another strange dream of someone being tortured when she was awakened by Uncle Vernon yelling. She opened the cupboard door slightly, just in time to see Harry being yelled at by Uncle Vernon. She closed the door, whispered 'I knew it.' And went back to sleep amidst the yelling.

--

Uncle Vernon shouted at Harry for half an hour and then told him to go make a cup of tea. Harry walked into the kitchen, and by the time he got back, the post had arrived and had fallen right into Uncle Vernon's lap. Harry could see six letters addressed to Hotaru and himself in green ink.

"I want –"he began, but Uncle Vernon was tearing the letter's to pieces before his eyes.

Uncle Vernon didn't go to work that day. He stayed at home and nailed up the letterbpx.

"See," he explained to Aunt Petunia through a mouthful of nails. "If they cant deliver the letters then they will just give up."

"I'm not sure that will work Vernon."

"Oh, these people's minds work in strange ways Petunia, they're not like you and me." Uncle Vernon replied, attempting to knock in a nail with a piece of fruit cake that Aunt Petunia had given him.

Hotaru walked into the entryway and stared at Uncle Vernon for a few moments.

"Uncle Vernon, I don't think that the fruitcake will work very well as a hammer." She said coyly.

Uncle Vernon turned and glared at her.

"Being a little smart aleck now are you? I'll teach you a lesson." Uncle Vernon said as he moved closer to her.

--

"Hey 'Taru." Harry said, slapping her on the back lightly, he didn't notice her flinch slightly.

"Hey Harry." She replied casually. She was rather used to pain, having been subject to it for so long. She had somehow kept it a secret from Harry though.

Harry Sighed, "I can't get a letter, no matter how hard I try."

"Well Harry, it is because you are so very predictable." Hotaru said with a slight grin. Harry pouted.

"Well –" Harry began but was interrupted by Uncle Vernon coming in.

"It's time for bed girl." He grunted, taking her by her arm and taking her downstairs. Once down there, he punched her once more in the stomach, this knocking her out and went upstairs to bed, satisfied.

--

On Friday, no less than 24 letter's arrived for Harry and Hotaru. As they couldn't be pushed through the mail slot, they had been pushed under the door, slotted through the sides and a few even a small window in the downstairs bathroom.

Uncle Vernon stayed home again. After burning all the letters, he got out a hammer and nails and boarded up all the cracks around the front and back doors so that no one could go out. He hummed 'Tiptoe through the tulips' as he worked, and jumped at small noises.

On Saturday, things began to get out of hand. Forty-eight letters found their way into the house, rolled up and hidden inside each of the two dozen eggs that their very confused milk man had handed to Aunt Petunia through the living room window. While Uncle Vernon made furious phone calls to the post office and the dairy to try to find someone to complain too, Aunt Petunia shredded the letters in her food mixer.

"Who on earth wants to talk to you guys _that_ badly?" Dudley asked Harry and Hotaru in amazement. Harry simply shrugged and Hotaru ignored him and walked off to her cupboard.

Hotaru just stayed in her cupboard as much as possible, to avoid Uncle Vernon. But sometimes she had to come out. Harry began to slowly notice that Hotaru often flinched when touched. He didn't know what was going on, but he tried to find out.

Harry walked toward the cupboard and reached for the door.

"Is that you Harry?" Hotaru said before he even touched the door.

"Yeah, it's me 'Taru." Harry replied.

She opened the door and let him in. She tried to hide a new bruise on her neck, but Harry noticed it right away.

"Hotaru what hap-" Harry stopped in mid-sentence as he saw the blood on her blanket. He looked her in the eyes and said in a serious tone of voice.

"Hotaru, what happened?"

"Well, Harry, there was a nail loose in the wall and I accidentally hit it." She replied evenly.

"What about the bruise on your neck?" he asked suspiciously.

"Oh, that is nothing. Just another clumsy moment." She replied in a false cheerful voice.

Harry looked at her suspiciously and said,

"Hotaru, you know that if anything is wrong then you can tell me, right?"

Hotaru nodded. 'I can, but I won't.' She thought.

"Well, I have to go to bed, good night Hotaru." Harry said, smiling at her. She was the closest thing he had ever had to a sibling and he loved her more then anything in the world.

"Good night Harry." She replied, smiling. Yet her eyes showed no warmth. She closed the cupboard door after Harry left and tried to sleep with the throbbing pain in her neck, making her head beat unmercifully.

Hotaru got up from her laying position with much pain. She had heard someone in the yard. She got up, and slowly opened the cupboard door. She snuck over to the living room window and peered cautiously over. She saw two shadows. Then she heard a voice.

"She should be here." The voice said.

"Yes, she is. I saw her earlier..." the other voice answered.

"Well, why didn't you grab her?!" the first voice said angrily.

"I can't get in the house." Replied the second voice indignantly.

"Let's report back to the Dark Lord then." The first voice said.

Hotaru looked over the window sill again and they were gone.

She quietly made her way back over to the cupboard, and got in, closing the door quietly behind her. Just then her headache worsened and she passed out.

--------------

Hotaru's dream

"I wish to see my daughter." A voice hissed.

"Master, you cannot see her now. You are not strong enough yet..." a whimpering voice answered.

"She is the only reason I go on! If it weren't for her I would..." the voice trailed off.

There was a very loud crack and 2 men in black cloaks appeared.

"My Lord," the first one said. "We have seen your daughter, and she is doing worse then the last time we checked up on her."

"What?!" the hissing voice seethed.

"But, my Lord, she will be removed from the muggles care soon to go to Hogwarts."

"Good..."

End of Hotaru's dream

-------------------

On Sunday morning, Uncle Vernon sat down at the breakfast table looking tired and rather ill, but happy.

"No post on Sundays," he reminded them happily. "No damn letters today-"

Something came whizzing down the chimney as he spoke and caught him sharply in the back of his head. Next moment, thirty or forty letters came pelting out of the fireplace like bullets. The Dursley's ducked, but Harry set to jumping about trying to catch one.

"Out, OUT!" Uncle Vernon yelled as he seized Harry around the waist and threw him into the hall. When Aunt Petunia and Dudley had run out with their arms over their faces, Uncle Vernon slammed the door shut. They could hear the letters still streaming into the room, bouncing off of the walls and floor.

"That does it!" said Uncle Vernon, trying to speak calmly but pulling great tufts out of his mustache at the same time. "I want you all back here in five minutes, ready to leave. We're going away. Just pack some clothes. No arguments!"

He looked so dangerous with half his mustache missing that no one dared to argue. He stomped over to the cupboard door and banged on it several times.

"That means you too girl!" he hissed. Hotaru had been missing at breakfast, as she had a headache so bad that she could barely function. Though somehow, she managed to pack her few belongings.

Ten minutes later, they had wrenched through the boarded up doors and were in the car, speeding toward the highway. Dudley was sniffling in the back seat with a fuming Harry and a miserable Hotaru. His father had hit him round the head for holding them up while he tried to pack his television, VCR and his computer in his sports bag. Harry looked out the window at the clear blue sky.

'This is gonna be a long day...' he thought as they sped down the road.

-----

Harry/Hotaru:...o.o

Hotaru: Ow.

AngelMeroko: So sorry guys, but it is in the script SO...heh.

Draco: Damn muggles, think they can do anything they damn well please!

AngelMeroko: So true Draco, so true...

Draco: Don't worry babe, I will protect you!

Hotaru: Thanks Draco.

AngelMeroko: Actually... no you wont. Its not in the script.

Draco/Hotaru:...

AngelMeroko: Well, there is another chapter!

Hotaru: Yes, and why am I the one being abused?

AngelMeroko: I dunno, it just felt like the right thing to write at the time.

Hotaru: Right...

Harry: Well, Hotaru, at least you could pretty much relax in the second half of the chapter. I am the one who had to do most of the work...

Hotaru: Yeah, you had to jump around a room and try to catch a letter...Oh, and by the way Harry, how is it that you couldn't even catch one measly letter out of over 40?

Harry: Ya know what-?

AngelMeroko: OKAY! That is quite enough you two...--;;;

Draco: Hey, back off my girl Potter!

Harry: Why don't you back off Malfoy?!

-Draco and Harry get into a fight-

AngelMeroko: Hey you two, cut it out!

Hotaru: -sweet and angelic- Please review! O:-) -evil and demonic- Or else.

-ominous cheering-

Hotaru:...who is cheering?

AngelMeroko: Oh, that is just the sound effects

Harry: I see.

Draco: Now review you pitiful muggles, before I have to hex you into oblivion!

Hotaru: And if that doesn't work, then I shall erase you from existence.

AngelMeroko: ...Yeah, what they said... PLEASE REVIEW!


	5. Chapter 5

They drove, and they drove. Even Aunt Petunia didn't dare ask where they were going. Every now and then, Uncle Vernon would take a sharp turn and drive in the opposite direction.

"Shake 'em off… Shake 'em off." He would mutter each time he did this. Hotaru also flinched slightly each time he did this as she would hit her back and/or side.

They didn't stop to eat of drink the entire trip. About an hour into the trip, Hotaru fell asleep on Harry's shoulder. When she woke up, it was already dark outside. She woke up to Dudley howling. He was having the worst day of his life. He was hungry, he'd missed 5 T.V. program's that he had wanted to watch and he had never gone quite so long without blowing up an alien on his computer.

Uncle Vernon stopped at last outside a gloomy-looking hotel on the outskirts of a big city. Dudley, Harry and Hotaru shared a room with twin beds, a cot and musty sheets.

That night Harry sat on the windowsill, watching the cars go by and thinking. He was so deep in thought, that he didn't even notice Hotaru (not that he would have anyways) walking into the room and coming up behind him. Only when she spoke did he know that she was there.

"Hullo Harry." She whispered, loudly, in his ear.

He jumped and turned to look at her.

"'Taru, you startled me." he said laughing a bit. "Why are you up?"

"I just couldn't sleep." She answered casually. "So, who do you think is sending us these 'mystery letters'?"

"I have absolutely no idea. I mean, we don't have library cards or anything like that. And besides, who would be writing to us that Uncle Vernon would be so desperate to escape?" Harry replied with a very confused expression.

"Hey, maybe they are from an agency telling them that they had to take in your…twin sister or something." Hotaru joked.

Harry grinned, "Yeah, and your twin brother… No wonder they ran away."

Hotaru playfully smacked Harry on the shoulder.

"Well, I think I am gonna go to sleep." Harry said with a yawn. "G'night, Hotaru."

"G'night, Harry." Hotaru replied.

Harry left and fell asleep as soon as his head hit the pillow.

Hotaru looked out at the sky. If Harry had been more observant, he might have seen the blood soaking Hotaru's stomach.

"I can't see it… I can't see Saturn…" Hotaru mumbled before everything went hazy. She fell to the floor, in the light of the moon.

---Hotaru's Dream---

Everything was dark.

"Hotaru…"

_Huh? _Hotaru heard a voice, and all at once she was enveloped by a warm light.

"Hotaru…"

_Who is that?_

"It is alright Hotaru…"

_What is alright?_

"I am going to help you…"

_Help me? Help me how?_

The voice murmured something that Hotaru could not catch.

"I will see you soon Hotaru… I will see you soon…"

The warm light began to fade.

_Wait, no! Come back!_

And everything faded to black.

"Hotaru…Hotaru!"

Hotaru came to, as she felt Harry shaking her by the shoulders.

"What is it Harry?" she asked groggily.

"It's time for breakfast." Harry replied. "You have been getting pale lately… I don't think you are eating enough." He said with a worried glance.

Hotaru look down at herself and noticed for the first time that her newest wound was healed. She didn't know how. But she was glad it happened so that she wouldn't have to explain the blood to Harry later.

"Well, let's eat." Hotaru said as happily as she could.

Harry nodded and led her to the breakfast table, with Uncle Vernon, Aunt Petunia and Dudley.

They ate stale cornflakes and cold tinned tomatoes on toast. They had just finished when the owner of the hotel came over to their table.

"S'cuse me, but do you have a Mr. H. Potter or a Miss H Riddle? Only I got about 2 'undred of these at the front desk."

She held up 2 letters so that they could read the green ink address.

_Mr H. Potter_

_Room 17_

_Railview Hotel_

_Cokeworth_

And

_Miss H. Riddle_

_Room 17_

_Railview hotel_

_Cokeworth_

Harry made a grab for his letter, but Uncle Vernon knocked his hand out of the way. The woman stared.

"I'll take them." Uncle Vernon said, standing up quickly and following her from the Dining Room.

"Wouldn't it be better to just go home dear?" Aunt Petunia suggested timidly, hours later, but Uncle Vernon didn't seem to hear her. Exactly what he was looking for, none of them knew. He drove them to the middle of a forest, got out, looked around, shook his head, got back in the car and off they went again. The same thing happened in the middle of a ploughed field, halfway across a suspension bridge and at the top of a multi-story car park.

"Daddy's gone mad, hasn't he?" Dudley asked Aunt Petunia dully, later that afternoon. Uncle Vernon had parked at the coast, locked them all inside the car and disappeared.

It started to rain. Great drops of water beat on the roof of the car. Dudley sniffled.

"It's Monday," he told his mother. "The great Humberto's on tonight. I wanted to stay somewhere with a _television_."

Monday. This reminded Harry of something. If it _was_ Monday – and you could usually count on Dudley to know the days of the week, because of television – then tomorrow, Tuesday, was Harry and Hotaru's 11th birthdays Well, they counted the day Hotaru was dropped on their doorstep as her birthday since it wasn't included in her letter). Harry looked over at Hotaru and noticed that by the look on her face, she had remembered the same thing. Of course she didn't look excited. Of course, neither was he. Their birthdays weren't exactly _fun_ – Last year the Dursley's had given him a clothes hanger and a pair of Uncle Vernon's old socks. Still, you didn't turn 11 every day.

Uncle Vernon came back, and he was smiling. He was also carrying a long thin package and didn't answer Aunt Petunia when she asked what he'd bought.

"Found the perfect place!" he said. "Come on, everyone out!"

It was very cold outside the car. Uncle Vernon was pointing at what looked like a very large rock way out to sea. Perched on top of the rock, was the most miserable looking shack you could imagine. One thing was for certain, there was no television in there.

"Storm forecast for tonight!" said Uncle Vernon gleefully, clapping his hands together. "And this gentleman's kindly agreed to lend us his boat!"

A toothless old man came ambling up to them, pointing, with a rather wicked grin, at an old rowing boat bobbing up and down in the iron-grey water below them.

"I've already got us some rations," said Uncle Vernon, "So all aboard!"

It was freezing in the boat. Icy spray and rain crept down their necks and a chilly wind whipped their faces. The only one not affected by the cold was Hotaru. She seemed to be rather enjoying it. After what seemed like hours they reached the rock, where Uncle Vernon, slipping and sliding, led the way to the broken-down house.

The inside was _horrible_; it smelled strongly of seaweed, the wind whistled through the gaps in the wooden walls and the fireplace was damp and empty. There were only two rooms.

Uncle Vernon's 'rations' turned out to be a packet of potato chips each and five banana's. He tried to start a fire, but the potato chips bags, just shriveled up in the fireplace.

"Could do with some of those letters right about now eh?" he said cheerfully.

He was in a very good mood. Obviously, he thought that no one could stand a chance at delivering the post here, let alone reaching them at all through this storm.

As night fell, the promised storm blew up around them. Spray from the high waves splattered the hut and a fierce wind rattled the filthy windows. Aunt Petunia found a few moldy blankets in the second room and made up a bed for Dudley on the moth-eaten couch. She and Uncle Vernon went off to the lumpy bed next door and Harry and Hotaru were left to the floor.

The storm raged more and more ferociously as the night went on. Harry couldn't sleep. He kept shivering, and he could tell that Hotaru couldn't sleep either. Though he didn't know the reason, he just couldn't seem to get comfortable. His stomach rumbled with hunger. Dudley's snores were drowned by the low rolls of thunder that started near midnight. The lighted dial of Dudley's watch, which was dangling over the edge of the sofa on his fat wrist, told Harry that both he and Hotaru would be eleven in ten minutes time. As he lay watching his birthday tick nearer, he heard Hotaru whisper.

"Hey Harry, how much longer?"

"Four minutes and thirty-three seconds." Harry replied.

There was silence once again.

Two minutes to go. What was that the sea, slapping hard on the rock like that? And (one minute to go) what was that funny crunching sound? Was the rock crumbling into the sea?

Thirty seconds to go and he would be eleven. Ten – nine – eight – maybe he would wake Dudley up just to annoy him – three – two – Nah, it was nice to not have to deal with dudley – one –

_BOOM._

The whole shack shivered and Harry sat bolt upright, staring at the door. Someone was outside, knocking to come in.

BOOM.

They knocked again. Dudley jerked awake.

"Where's the cannon?" he asked stupidly.

There was a crash behind them and Uncle Vernon came skidding into the room. He was now holding a rifle in his hands – now they knew what was in that long package. Hotaru had crawled behind the couch and Harry had jumped to his feet.

"Who's there?" Uncle Vernon shouted. "I warn you – I'm armed!"

There was a pause. Then –

SMASH!

The door was hit with such force that it swung clean off the hinges and with a deafening crash it landed on the ground. As soon as the door was 'open', the wind and rain came blowing in. Harry felt raindrops hit his face. He extended a hand of comfort to Hotaru, who took it. He helped her up, and a bolt of lightning flashed, illuminating a large silhouette in the door way.

A giant of a man was standing in the doorway. His face was almost completely hidden by a wild, shaggy mane of hair, and a grizzled, tangled beard, but you could make out his eyes, glinting like black beetles under all the hair. It kind of reminded Hotaru of the Grizzly bears that they had seen at the museum.

The giant squeezed his way into the hut, effectively stopping any more wind and rain from getting in. He stooped so that his head only barely brushed the ceiling. The lightning flashed again and he bent down, and picked up the door, then fitted it easily back in the frame. The noise of the storm outside dropped a little bit. He turned to look at them all, and there was another lightning flash.

"Couldn't make us a cup o' tea, could yeh? It's not been an easy journey…" He strode up to the couch where Dudley sat frozen with fear.

"Budge up yeh great lump." said the stranger.

There was another flash of lightning.

Dudley squeaked and ran to hide behind his mother who had come in with a candle.

"An' here's 'Arry!" said the Giant.

Harry looked up into the fierce, wild, shadowy face and saw that the beetle eyes were crinkled in a smile.

"Las' time I saw you, you was only a baby," said the Giant. "Yeh look a lot like yer dad, but yeh've got yer mum's eyes."

Uncle Vernon made a rather funny sounding, rasping noise.

"I demand that you leave at once sir!" he said. "You are breaking and entering!"

"Ah, shut up Dursley, you great prune," said the Giant. He reached over the back of the couch, jerked the gun out of Uncle Vernon's hands, bent it into a knot easily as if it were made of rubber, and threw it in a corner of the room.

Uncle Vernon made another funny noise, like a mouse being trodden on.

Anyway – Harry," said the giant, turning his back to the Dursleys, "A very happy birthday to yeh. Got summat fer yeh here – I mighta sat on it at some point, but it'll taste all right."

From an inside pocket of his black overcoat he pulled a slightly squashed box. Harry opened it with trembling fingers. Inside was a large, sticky chocolate cake with _Happy Birthday Harry_ written with green icing. Hotaru looked from behind his in awe. Neither of them had EVER had a birthday cake before.

Harry looked up at the giant. He meant to say 'Thank you', but the words got lost on the way to his mouth and instead he said,

"Who are you?"

The giant chuckled.

"True, I haven't introduced meself. Rubeus Hagrid, Keeper of Keys and Grounds at Hogwarts." He held out an enormous hand and shook Harry's whole arm.

"What about that tea then, eh?" he said, rubbing his hands together. "I'd not say no, ter summat stronger if yeh've got it, mind."

His eyes fell on the empty grate with the shriveled potato chip bags in it and snorted. He bent down over the fireplace; they couldn't see what he was doing but when he drew back a second later, there was a roaring fire there. It filled the whole damp hut with warmth and light. Hotaru stepped out from behind Harry and Hagrid looked at her. Hagrid's gaze caught Hotaru's big brown eyes. He stared at her like a deer caught in the headlights.

"It's her…" he said, with a scared look in his eyes. "Sweet Merlin, it's her…" he took a step back.

Harry looked over at Hotaru. She looked just as confused as him. There was fear in Hagrid's eyes and he looked like he was having a panic attack.

He breathed slightly heavily and then went and sat down on the couch, which sagged under his weight. He looked at Hotaru cautiously, then ignored her completely.

He began to take things out of the pockets of his over coat: a copper kettle, a squashy bag of sausages, a poker, a tea pot, several chipped mugs, and a bottle of amber liquid, which he took a swig from before starting to make the tea. Soon the hut was full of the smell and sound of sizzling sausages. Nobody said a thing while the giant was working , but as he slid the first six fat, juicy, slightly burnt sausages from the poker, Dudley fidgeted a little. Uncle Vernon said sharply,

"Don't touch anything he gives you, Dudley."

The Giant chuckled lightly.

"Yer great puddin' of a son don' need anymore fattenin', Dursley, don' worry."

He passed the sausages to Harry, – completely ignoring Hotaru – who was so hungry he had never tasted anything so wonderful. He looked over at Hotaru and wondered why Hagrid didn't give Hotaru any sausages. So he gave her half of his own. Hagrid saw this but kept quiet. Finally, as nobody seemed to be able to explain anything, Harry said,

"I'm sorry, but I still don't really know who you are."

The giant took a gulp of tea and wiped his mouth with the back of his hand.

"Call me Hagrid," he said, "Everyone does. An' like I told yeh, I'm keeper of keys at Hogwarts – yeh'll know all abou' Hogwarts o' 'course."

"Er- no." said Harry.

Hagrid looked shocked.

"Sorry." Harry said quickly.

"_Sorry_?" barked Hagrid, turning to stare at the Dursleys, who shrank back into the shadows. "Its them who should be sorry! I knew yeh weren' getting' yer letters but I never thought yeh wouldn't ever know abou' Hogwarts, yer cryin' out loud! Did yeh never wonder where yer parents learned it all?"

"All what?" asked Harry, he shot a puzzled look at Hotaru, who had an equally puzzled look on her face.

"ALL WHAT?" Hagrid thundered. "Now wait jus' one second!"

He had leapt to his feat. In his anger he seemed to fill the whole hut. The Dursleys were cowering against the wall.

"Do you mean ter tell m," he growled at the Dursleys, "that his boy – this boy! – knows nothin' abou' – abou' ANYTHING?"

Harry thought that this was going a bit far. He had been to school, after all, and his marks weren't bad.

"I know _some_ things." He said. "I can, you know, do math and stuff."

But Hagrid simply waved his hand and said, "About _our_ world, I mean. _Your_ world. _Yer parents world_."

"What world?"

Hagrid looked like he was about to explode.

"DURSLEY!" he boomed.

Uncle Vernon who had gone very pale, whispered something that sounded like 'mimblewimble'. Hagrid stared wildly at Harry.

"But yeh know about yer mum and dad," he said. "I mean, their _famous_. _Your_ famous."

"What? My –mum and dad weren't famous, were they?"

"Yeh don' know… yeh don' know…" Hagrid ran his fingers through his hair, fixing Harry with a bewildered stare. "Yeh don' know what yeh _are_?" he said finally.

Uncle Vernon suddenly found his voice.

"Stop!" he commanded. "Stop right there, sir! I forbid you to tell the boy anything!"

A braver man then Vernon Dursley would have cowered under the furious look Hagrid now gave him; when Hagrid spoke, his every syllable trembled with rage.

"You never told him? Never told him what was in that letter Dumbledore left fer him? I was there! I saw Dumbledore leave it, Dursley! An' you've kept it from him all these years? And what abou' Hotaru? Did yeh not tell her neither?"

"Kept _what_ from me? What about Hotaru?" said Harry asked eagerly. Hotaru looked at Hagrid with big eyes.

"STOP, I FORBID YOU!" yelled Uncle Vernon in panic.

Aunt Petunia gave a gasp of horror.

"Ah, go boil yer heads, both of yeh," said Hagrid. "Harry – yer a wizard."

There was silence in the hut. Only the sea outside, with its crashing waves, could be heard.

"I'm a _what_?" gasped Harry.

"A wizard, o' course," said Hagrid, sitting back down on the couch, which groaned and sank lower than ever. "An' a thumpin' good 'un I'd wager. With a mum and dad like you've got…" Hagrid cast a dark look at Hotaru. "She's a witch," Hagrid said pointing at Hotaru. "And with parent's like _she's_ got, I am surprised that Dumbledore sent her to live with you…" Hagrid whispered the last part, so that Harry and Hotaru couldn't hear.

Hagrid seemed to zone out for a moment, seemingly lost in thought. He soon snapped out of it, and went back to attempting to ignore Hotaru. It was slightly difficult for him with those big brown eyes gazing up at him questioningly.

"Well, Harry. I s'pose its about time you read yer letter then." He said somewhat nervously.

Harry stretched his hand out at last to take the yellowish envelope, addressed in emerald green to, _Mr. H. Potter, The floor, Hut-on-the-rock, The Sea_. He pulled out the Letter and began to read:

_**HOGWARTS SCHOOL OF WITHCRAFT AND WIZARDRY**_

_**Headmaster: Albus Dumbledore**_

_**(Order of Merlin, First Class, Grand SorcChf. Warlock, Supreme Mugwump, International Confed. of Wizards)**_

_**Dear Mr. Potter,**_

_**We are pleased to inform you that you have a place at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Please find enclosed a list of all necessary books and begins on 1 September. We await your owl by no later then 31 July.**_

_**Yours sincerely,**_

_**Minerva McGonagall**_

_**Deputy Headmistress**_

Questions exploded in Harry's head like fireworks and he couldn't decide which to ask first. After a few minutes, he stammered,

"What does it mean 'they await my owl'?"

"Gallopin' Gorgons, that reminds me," said Hagrid, clapping a hand to his forehead with enough force to knock over a cart horse, and from yet another pocket inside his overcoat he pulled and owl – a real, live, rather ruffled looking owl – a long quill and a roll of parchment. With his tongue between his teeth, he scribbled a note which Harry could read upside down.

_**Dear Dumbledore,**_

_**Given Harry his letter. Taking him to buy his things tomorrow.**_

_**Weathers Horrible. Hope your well.**_

_**Hagrid.**_

Hagrid rolled up the note, gave it to the owl, which clamped it into its beak, went to the door and threw the owl out into the storm. Then he came back and sat down as though this was as normal as talking on the phone.

Harry realized that his mouth was hanging open, and closed it quickly. Just then a thought entered his mind.

"What about Hotaru's letter?" he asked.

"Oh… Yeah, her." Hagrid muttered under his breath, seemingly annoyed that she had been brought back to his attention. He looked around for Hotaru and found her standing right behind him. "Ack! Merlin, girl! Don' scare me like that." He scowled. He thrust the letter to her. Hotaru took the letter and shrank back to a corner, sending a frightened look at Harry. Harry, however ,was too engrossed with the large man to notice.

_----------_

Hotaru walked over to the corner and looked down at her letter. She pulled the parchment from the envelope and began to read it.

_**HOGWARTS SCHOOL OF WITHCRAFT AND WIZARDRY**_

_**Headmaster: Albus Dumbledore**_

_**(Order of Merlin, First Class, Grand SorcChf. Warlock, Supreme Mugwump, International Confed. of Wizards)**_

_**Dear Ms. Riddle,**_

_**We are pleased to inform you that you have a place at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Please find enclosed a list of all necessary books and begins on 1 September. We await your owl by no later than 31 July.**_

_**There is a letter for you within the envelope left for you by your mother, who was, regrettably, killed by the Avada Kedavra Curse soon after your birth.**_

_**Yours sincerely,**_

_**Minerva McGonagall**_

_**Deputy Headmistress**_

In the envelope she found 2 other pieces of parchment.

One had her supplies list, while the other was sealed with a lowercase 'h' with a line over it like a lowercase 't'. She took it out and began to read it.

_**Hotaru Aneese Riddle,**_

_**If you have indeed received this letter, I am already gone. I hope you have not had too hard of a life with the family Dumbledore placed you with. However, I believe it is time you knew of your true identity. You are the daughter of the one and only Dark Lord, Voldemort. I, your mother was the Almighty, Queen of Saturn, and was gifted with being the vessel of the all powerful Sailor Saturn of Old. Because of her, I could destroy a planet with the wave of my staff. Because I am dead, you are destined to become the next Sailor Saturn. You are the heir to the title, Queen of Saturn. But beware, the Sailor Scouts ofPluto, Uranus and Neptune, will already know of your existence. Because of this, your life is in grave danger, for they will be on a mission to kill you. They very well may be at Hogwarts looking for you. Sailor Moon and the Sailor Soldiers of the inner solar system may be merciful to you. But do not count on that, in case the Soldiers of the outer solar system have already convinced them otherwise. Soon after reading this letter, Sailor Saturn should awaken within you just as she did in me. It will be painful, but do not be afraid my daughter, I shall be with you. Be strong, for both of us. Your mission is just beginning. Sailor Saturn will help you, and then you will merge into one. It will be alright. You must learn to harness your powers. Train hard.**_

_**I love you, good bye.**_

_**Sailor Saturn, Queen of Saturn**_

Hotaru stared at the parchment. All of a sudden she felt something strange coming over her. Her breathing became rapid and she held a hand over her heart as an excruciating pain over-took her. She began panting and writhing on the ground.

-----------------

AngelMeroko: And there is the end of the next chapter ::maniacal laughter::

Harry: …You know what? You are just evil!

Hotaru: …Ow. ::clutches chest::

Draco: It's okay babe. ::Puts arm around Hotaru's shoulders::

Hotaru and Draco: -Walk off-

AngelMeroko: Sorry about the long wait… I lost my book again… .

Harry: Weirdo…

AngelMeroko: Don't tempt the writer Harry…

Harry: o.o

Harry: Please tell her not to kill me! –cries-

AngelMeroko: You are such a baby….

Harry: Well next time could you please have more of me actually doing things that AREN'T completely by the book?

AngelMeroko: What is that supposed to mean Harry?

Harry: Well, you just write the story. I actually have to do the stuff in the story.

AngelMeroko: Hmmm… you're right Harry. ::sinister grin::

Draco: Harry you friggin' idiot! Now she is gonna do whatever she wants to do to you! …On second thought, keep on going Harry.

::AngelMeroko and Draco sinisterly grin to each other::

Harry: Wait a minute, let's take a moment to answer our faithful reviewers.

AngelMeroko: Wow, Harry what a good idea…you didn't hurt yourself did you? Well, anyways…

Harry::glare::

AngelMeroko: Harry, leave the glaring to Draco.

Harry::pouts::

AngelMeroko: ANYWAYS! Thank you to all of my reviewers! You are amazing. I love you all. Anyways, I am going to get to work re-writing the rest of the story.

Draco: And don't forget to review!

Harry: Yes, if you do, I shall grace you with my presence once more ::smirk::

Hotaru: Harry…don't do that, it is amazing we get any reviews….

Harry::pouts::

Draco/Hotaru::high five:: Please review!


	6. Chapter 6

Hotaru was shuddering in pain on the ground. Her eyes were burning as though she had gotten paint thinner in them. She tried desperately not to make any sound, but could not help a small, short yelp as she pulled herself further into the corner. Hot tears squeezed themselves from the corners of her eyes as she tried desperately to pull herself together. When she felt on the verge of passing out, she heard a soft, but powerful and calming voice.

"Hotaru, be strong my daughter." The voice whispered. All at once, the pain became slightly more bearable. "Brace yourself…" The voice sounded farther away, and finally stopped all together.

_Worse, how could this get any worse?_

All at once, Hotaru was hit with a pain so severe, she could no longer keep quiet…

-------------

"Where was I?" said Hagrid, putting one thick finger up to his chin thoughtfully. Uncle Vernon, still ashen-faced but looking very angry, moving into the firelight and pointed his finger at Hagrid threateningly.

"He's not going." He said. "And the girl isn't going either."

Hagrid grunted, "And I'd like ter see a great muggle like you try an' stop him." He said.

"A what?" asked Harry, interested by this strange name.

"A muggle," said Hagrid. "It's what we call non-magic folk like them." Hagrid pointed at the Dursleys with distaste. "An' it's your bad luck that you grew up in a family o' the biggest Muggles I ever laid eyes on."

"We swore when we took him in we'd put a stop to that rubbish," said Uncle Vernon, "swore we'd stamp it out of him! Wizard, indeed!"

"You _knew_?" said Harry asked incredulously. "You _knew_ I'm a – a wizard?"

"Knew!" shrieked Aunt Petunia suddenly. "_Knew!_ Of course we knew! How could you not be, my dratted sister being what she was? Oh, she got a letter just like that and disappeared off to the – that _school_ – and came home every holiday with her pockets full of frog-spawn, turning teacups into rats. I was the only one who saw her for what she was – a freak! But for my mother and father, oh no, it was Lily this and Lily that, they were proud of having a witch in the family!"

She stopped to draw a deep breath and then went ranting on. It seemed she had been holding this in for years.

"Then she met that Potter at school and they left and got married and had you, and of course I knew you'd be just the same, just as strange, just as – as – _abnormal_ – as them. And then, if you please, she went and got herself blown up and we got landed with you."

Harry had gone very white in the face. As soon as he had his voice he said,

"Blown up? You told me my parents died in a car crash!"

"CAR CRASH!" roared Hagrid, jumping up so angrily that the Dursley's scuttled back to their corner. "how could a car crash kill Lily an' James Potter? It's an outrage! It's a scandal! Harry Potter not knowin' his own story when every kid in our world knows his name!"

"But why? What happened?" Harry asked urgently.

The anger faded from Hagrid's face. He looked suddenly anxious.

"I never expected this," he said in a low, worried voice. "I had no idea, when Dumbledore told me there might be trouble getting' hold of yeh, how much yeh didn' know. Ah, Harry, I don' know if I'm the right person to tell yeh – but someone's gotta – yeh can't go off ter Hogwarts not knowin."

He threw a dirty look at the Dursleys. Uncle Vernon, who looked as if he were going to make a scathing remark, thought better and looked down at the ground.

"Well, its best yeh know as much as I can tell yeh – mind, I can't tell yeh everythin', it's a great myst'ry, parts of it…"

He sat down, stared into the fire for a few seconds and then said,

"It begins I s'pose, with – with a person called –but it's incredible yeh don't know his name, everyone in our world knows –"

"Who?"

"Well – I don' like sayin' the name if I can help it. No one does."

"Why not?"

"Gulpin' Gargoyles, Harry, people are still scared. Blimey, this is difficult. See, there was this wizard who went … bad. As bad as you could go. Worse. Worse than worse. His name was …"

Hagrid gulped, but no words came out.

"Could you write it down?" Harry suggested.

"Nah – can't spell it. Alright – _Voldemort_." Hagrid shuddered. "Don' make me say it again. Anyways, this – this wizard, about twenty years ago now, started lookin' fer followers. Got 'em too – some where afraid, some just wanted a bit 'o his power, cause he was getting' himself power, alright. Dark days, Harry. Didn't know who ter trust, didn't dare get friendly with strange wizards or witches … Terrible things happened. He was takin' over. 'Course some stood up to him – an' he killed 'em. Horribly. One 'o the only safe places left, was Hogwarts. Reckon Dumbledore's the only one You-Know-Who was afraid of. Didn't dare try takin' the school, not jus' then, anyway.

Now yer mom and dad were as good a witch an' wizard as I ever knew. Head boy an' girl at Hogwarts in their day. Suppose the myst'ry is why You-Know-Who never tried to get 'em on his side before … probably knew they were too close ter Dumbledore ter want anything to do with the Dark Side.

Maybe he thought he could persuade 'em … maybe he jus' wanted 'em outta the way. All anyone knows is, he turned up at yer house an' – an' –"

Hagrid suddenly pulled out a very dirty spotted handkerchief. And blew his nose with the sound of a foghorn.

"Sorry," he said. "But It's that sad – knew yer mum and dad, an' nicer people yeh couldn' find – anyway – You-Know-Who killed 'em. An' then – an' this is the real myst'ry of the thing – he tried to kill you, too. Wanted ter make a clean job of it, I suppose, of maybe he jus' liked killin' by then. But he couldn't do it. Never wondered how you got that mark on yer forehead? That was no ordinary cut. That's what yeh get when a powerful, evil curse, touches yeh – took care of yer mum an' dad an' yer house, even – but it didn't work on you, an' that's why yer famous, Harry. No one ever lived after he decided to kill 'em. No one, that is, except you Harry. An' he killed some o' the best witches an' wizards of age – the McKinnon's, the Bone's, the Prewetts – an' you was only a baby, an' you survived."

Something extremely painful was playing in Harry's mind. As Hagrid's story came to an end, he saw that blinding flash of green, much more clearly than ever before. And he remembered something else, for the first time in his life – a high, cold, cruel laugh.

Just then, they heard a shrill scream.

"Hotaru!" Harry yelled, jumping up, off of the couch. He looked around, and found her writhing on the ground in pain, in the corner by the kitchen. There was a strange translucent, somewhat cloudy violet… something around her. It seemed to be forever churning and swirling like smoke. Harry ran over to her and without hesitation reached toward her. Hagrid, who had been staring and Hotaru in disbelief managed to cry out a "No!" just as Harry's fingertips came in contact with the strange violet substance.

All at once, the substance turned solid. There was a slight popping sound, and Harry flew across the small hut and hit the wall near the Dursleys. It had all seemed to be happening in slow motion for Harry. However, the moment he connected with the wall of the hut, everything came back to real time. The Dursleys scuttled away from Harry as though he had a disease. Hotaru's screams were still going on as if she were being tortured. Hagrid just stared at her in disbelief and moved toward Harry, who was sitting, slouched against the wall.

"You alrigh' Harry?" he asked as he went to his side and lifted him up.

"What's wrong with 'Taru...?" he asked weakly, the wind knocked out of him, his eyes still clouded with worry for his friend.

"I dunno Harry...I dunno." Hagrid said, breathlessly. "I have read about this... but, it can't be!" he hissed. "Get behind me Harry." Hagrid said, pushing Harry behind him rather forcefully.

"No, I need to help her. Something is hurting her!" Harry cried, clutching his side. His eyes began to glisten with tears as he watched his best and only friend in the world writhing on the ground, hearing her tortured screams as though something eating her from the inside out.

Inside Hotaru the pain was excruciating. It was like fire and ice attacking each other, and neither wanting to back down. She felt as though she was on fire, yet frozen at the same time. She clutched a hand to her heart, drawing in short gasping breaths. It felt as though something was tearing itself from within her. She let out another shrill scream and just kept screaming until finally, after what felt like forever, the pain subsided. There was a stunned silence, for a few moments. Hotaru kept her eyes tight shut. Then she felt a hand on her trembling shoulder. It was both hot and cold at the same time.

"Hotaru..." said a soft, yet hard voice. It sounded like a stronger version of her _own_ voice. She opened her eyes, to see a girl who looked just like her. For a moment everything was shaded with violet, but it cleared within seconds. The girl was translucent and she was wearing a strange outfit.

She was wearing a white leotard with a short, rippled, dark purple skirt. The leotard had a blue collar with a white stripe around the outside. She had clear sleeves on her shoulders On her chest, rested a large, black bow, a heart shaped locket that was a deep purple. She had long white gloves that came up to her elbows on and long, slender, black boots that came to her knee's. On her forehead was a golden tiara, with a white gem in the middle. Her eyes were just like Hotaru's, deep purple. Though, this girl's eyes held a depth and knowledge that surpassed any that she had ever seen. She wore earrings with the planet Saturn, and hanging, long, black gems. But the thing that really caught her attention – not to mention everyone else's – was the long glaive that she held. The long, black staff was at least twice her size, with a long, sharp blade at the end that split into two parts; one shorter than the other, ending in a flat but sharp blade, and the other longer, and ending in a sharp, deadly point. Her black hair blew as though there was wind. Hotaru then noticed that both she and the girl were encased in a purple light.

"Fear not, soul which is under my protection. I am Sailor Saturn."

Hotaru gaped at the girl, Sailor Saturn. So this is what her mother meant.

She stood up, shakily and looked at Sailor Saturn. She was hovering above the ground by a few inches.

"You are to be trained as the new Sailor Saturn." Sailor Saturn said. Her voice seemed to resonate with darkness. "That is all I can tell you for now. Until the time that I am needed I shall be, just a voice in your mind. When you are ready, we will begin your training. I will only be able to come out train you at Hogwarts. Other than that it will be very taxing on the both of us if I were to come out. But for now... we shall speak in your mind.

Then Sailor Saturn, dove, head first, into Hotaru's chest. As she passed through, she disappeared, and the light was gone.

Hotaru's eyes widened and she fell over, unconscious.

--------

Harry, being restrained by Hagrid, kept attempting to return to Hotaru. Tears were openly falling down his cheeks. He knew that he could not help her because of whatever was keeping him away, but he did not want to accept it. All at once, the screaming stopped. Harry wiped his eyes free of any lingering tears. He felt Hagrid's grip slacken and he moved around him. He noticed that the purple force field was still in place and a worried look once more showed on his face.

Harry rubbed his eyes to make sure he wasn't seeing things. A girl had just _materialized_ in front of Hotaru. From what he could make out, she looked just like Hotaru with a different outfit on. The field between them had become cloudy once more and after a moment, it began to clear. The field completely disappeared as the other girl _dove_ into Hotaru's chest _head first_. Harry's eyes widened and he saw that the girl had disappeared completely. There had been something strange about Hotaru's eyes as well. But he couldn't quite place what it was.

"Hagrid, who was that?" Harry asked.

"Who?" Hagrid asked, eyeing Hotaru with severe displeasure. "All I see is the girl."

"But… But there was someone else in there with her!" Harry insisted. When Hagrid gave him a weird look, he just kept his mouth shut and dismissed it as a hallucination. Within a few seconds we had forgotten all about the strange girl. He rushed forward and checked Hotaru. She had passed out. Harry put his ear to her chest to make sure she had a heartbeat. He had done this several times before at the Dursleys house. There had been nights that he had found her passed out on the floor of the cupboard, barely breathing. She had always told him that she had fallen somehow.

Her heartbeat had always been somewhat fast and faint. However, now it was much more of a slow, steady pace. It sounded strong, much stronger than he had ever heard it.

"Hagrid, can you take Hotaru to the couch please? I can't carry her well enough." Harry pleaded to Hagrid, who looked as though the last thing he wanted to do was touch her. Nevertheless, Hagrid complied and lifted Hotaru, albeit, hesitantly, and laid her on the couch.

The Dursley's were simply standing in the corner of the room looking terrified at the entire scene that had unfolded before them.

Hagrid threw a blanket over Hotaru and sat down on the floor next to Harry.

"Hagrid… what happened? What was that?" Harry asked quietly.

"I don' know Harry, I don' know…" Hagrid sighed. "Yeh know, I took you from yer ruined house meself, on Dumbledore's orders, ter _this _lot…" he said, trying to change the subject.

"Load of crap," Uncle Vernon snapped so suddenly that Harry jumped he had almost forgotten that they were still in the room. Uncle Vernon certainly seemed to have gotten his courage back. He was glaring at Hagrid, with his fists clenched at his sides.

"Now you listen here boy," he snarled. "I accept that there is something strange about you, probably nothing a good beating wouldn't have cured – and as for all this about your parents, well, they were weirdo's, no denying it and the world is better off without them in my opinion – asked for all they got, mixing themselves with all those wizarding freaks. I always knew they would meet some kind of sticky end…"

But just then, Hagrid shot up from the floor, and drew a rather beat up looking pink umbrella from inside his coat of many pockets. He was pointing it at Uncle Vernon like a sword, he said, "I'm warning you Dursley – I'm warning you, one more word…"

At the prospect of being speared with an umbrella by a bearded giant, Uncle Vernon's courage failed him once more. He flattened against the wall and fell silent.

"Tha's better." said Hagrid, his breathing rather heavy, as he sat back on the floor.

Harry meanwhile had a great many questions to ask him. His head was swimming for a moment as he tried to think of which one he should ask first. He turned his head first, to see how Hotaru was doing. She was deathly still, but breathing normally, so he turned back to face Hagrid.

"But, what happened to Vol- er, sorry – You-know-Who?"

"Good question Harry. Disappeared. Vanished. Same night he tried ter kill you. That is what makes you even more famous. That's the biggest mystery, see… he was getting' more and more powerful – why'd he go? Some say he dies, load of crap, in my opinion. I dunno if he had enough human left in him ter die. Some say he is still out there, bidin' his time, but I don' believe it. People who was on his side came back ter ours. Some of 'em came out of kinda trances. Don' reckon they could've if he was comin' back. Most of us figure he's still out there somewhere but lost his powers. Too weak to carry on. 'Cause somethin' abou' yeh finished 'im Harry. _I_ dunno what it was, no one does – but somethin' abou' you, stumped 'im alrigh'…"

Hagrid looked at Harry with respect and warmth in his eyes, but Harry, instead of being pleased, like most people would, felt quite sure that there had been one heck of a mistake. A Wizard? Him? Hah! How could he be? He was always being bullied by Dudley, Aunt Petunia and Uncle Vernon. Besides, if he _had_ been a wizard, then why hadn't they turned into old warty toads or something every time they forced him into his and Hotaru's cupboard? And how had they been able to make Hotaru do anything if she was witch? If he had already defeated the most evil sorcerer of all time, then why was Dudley able to kick him around like a soccer ball? Harry Potter a wizard? No way.

"Hagrid," he said quietly. "I think you have the wrong person, I don't think I can be a wizard." He held his breath.

To his surprise, Hagrid laughed.

"Not a wizard eh? Have you ever made things happen, when you were angry or scared?"

Harry thought back.

"Well I made the glass disappear at the zoo once… and when Aunt Petunia gave me a bad haircut it somehow grew back." Harry replied.

"See?" said Hagrid. "Harry Potter not a wizard – you wait, you'll be right famous at Hogwarts.

But Uncle Vernon was not about to give up.

"Didn't I say that he is not going?" he hissed. "He's going to Stonewall High, and he will be grateful for it. I've read those letters, and he needs all sorts of crap – spell books and wands…honestly…"

"If he wants ter go, a great muggle like you isn't gonna stop him!" growled Hagrid. "Stop Lily an' James Potter's son, from goin ter Hogwarts…yer mad! His name has been down ever since he was born. He's off to the finest Witchcraft and Wizardry school in the world. Seven years there and he won't even know himself! He'll be with youngsters of his own sort for once, and he will be under the greatest headmaster Hogwarts has ever seen, Albus Dumbled-"

"I will not pay –who knows what – for some crackpot old _**fool**_ to teach him magic tricks!" yelled Uncle Vernon.

But he had finally gone too far. Hagrid seized his funny, pink umbrella, and whirled it over his head.

"NEVER – INSULT – ALBUS – DUMBLEDORE – IN – FRONT – OF – ME!" he thundered, pushing Uncle Vernon backwards with the tip of his umbrella with every word he spoke.

He brought the umbrella swishing down through the air, and pointed it a Dudley – there was a flash of violet light, a sound like a firecracker, a sharp squeal, and next second, Dudley was running around in circles, with his hands clasped over his fat bottom, howling in pain. When he turned his back to them, Harry spotted a curly little pigs tail, poking through this pants.

Uncle Vernon roared. Pulling Aunt Petunia and Dudley into the other room, he cast one last terrified glance at Hagrid and slammed the door behind them.

Hagrid looked down at his umbrella, and stroked his beard thoughtfully.

Shouldn'ta lost me temper," he said ruefully. "But it didn't work anyways. Meant ter turn him into a pig, but I suppose he was already too much like one to begin with." He chuckled to himself. He cast a sideways glance at Harry.

"I'd appreciate it if you didn't mention that ter anyone at school." He said. " Strictly speakin', I'm not supposed ter do magic… I was allowed to do a bit to send yeh yer letters, and come get you… which is one reason I was so eager for the job."

"Why aren't you supposed to do magic?" Harry asked.

"Well, I was expelled from Hogwarts… in me 3rd year." Hagrid replied, rather embarrassed. "They snapped my wand in half and everything, but Dumbledore let me stay as gamekeeper."

"Why were you expelled?" Harry asked.

"It's getting' late, you better get to bed, early day tomorrow." Said Hagrid loudly. "Gotta get ter town, get yer books and all of that."

He took off his big black coat and threw it on Harry.

"You can sleep under there, and if it wriggles a bit, it is just cause o' some field mice…"

Harry watched as Hagrid stepped into the bedroom Uncle Vernon and Aunt Petunia had come from. While pondering what had happened that day, he closed his eyes and slowly drifted off to sleep.

-------

Hotaru opened her eyes. They still hurt a bit from the night before. She had been awakened from her sleep by a tapping on the window. Was last night a dream? It couldn't be _real_, she couldn't be from Saturn. The very idea was preposterous. But when she tried to get up, a splitting headache erupted within. She could barely think, the pain was so bad.

_**Princess…**_

Hotaru's eyes widened. What was that voice…Sailor Saturn?

_**Princess of Saturn, soul under my protection… It is I, Sailor Saturn, Sailor scout of Death, Destruction, and Rebirth. The pain you are experiencing will subside within minutes. It is simply a result of me being within your body. **_

Hotaru managed a slight nod.

_**Now, young one. We must go with Harry Potter and the Giant**_

'_You mean Hagrid?'_

"_**Yes, they will be going to Diagon Alley. I have no way of getting you there without their help, and you must go to Hogwarts to commence training. You will be called upon to fight all too soon, and you must be prepared. **_

'_Fight?' Hotaru thought._

_**Yes, you will be expected to uphold the legend of Sailor Saturn.**_

'_But, I don't know how to fight…' answered Hotaru, hesitantly._

_**That is why you shall begin training at Hogwarts.**_

_Just then Hotaru saw Harry putting 5 pieces of bronze in a pouch on a little owl's leg._

'_What's that?' she asked._

_**That is Wizarding money. Those are bronze knuts.**_

Hotaru nodded slightly, despite the headache, which was, thankfully, subsiding. She slowly got up and silently walked behind Harry, who was now sitting on the couch at Hagrid's feet.

"Good morning Harry." She said from right behind him. He jumped about 6 inches in the air and turned around, concern in his eyes.

"Hotaru, are you alright? What happened yesterday? Who was that girl? Wh-" Hotaru silenced him with a single finger.

"I cannot tell you at the moment Harry, but I promise that when the time comes I will." She replied quietly.

Harry hesitantly nodded, "But are you sure you are okay?" he asked once more.

"Yes Harry, I am fine." Hotaru replied with a smile.

"Hotaru, no one else saw what happened within the force field… So you don't have to worry about Hagrid asking you any questions…" Harry stopped talking as he stared into Hotaru's eyes.

Hotaru looked grateful, but was curious as to why Harry was staring at her like that.

"What is it Harry?" She asked, puzzled.

"Your eyes… When did they change color?" Harry asked, slightly frightened.

Hotaru's eyes widened in alarm. She jumped off the couch and ran to the only mirror in the room. Her eyes had indeed changed colors. They were once deep brown, but were now a shocking, but deep violet.

"We ought to be getting ter Diagon Alley…" Hagrid muttered from the other side of the couch. "Eat a sausage, they aren't bad cold."

Hotaru and Harry looked at each other, confused. Hotaru was sure she would get it from Vernon for having such strange eyes.

Within 15 minutes, they were all finished eating and ready to go.

"Well, we had better get going." Hagrid said, a little grumpily, glancing over at Hotaru. "We gotta get ter London to get yer school things."

"And Hotaru's too, right?" Harry asked.

"Yeah..." Hagrid replied gruffly. Hotaru's cheeks flushed slightly, her face heating up. She knew that the giant man had disliked her from the beginning. She doubted that the scene the night before had helped that at all. She edged closer to Harry, bumping

Harry, meanwhile, was turning over wizard coins and looking at them. He had just thought of something that hadn't struck him before.

"Um-Hagrid?" Harry asked.

"What?"

"I don't have any money, and you heard Uncle Vernon, he won't pay for me to learn magic."

"Oh, don' worry abou' that." Hagrid said, waving Harry's statement away. "D'ya think that yer parents left yeh with nothin?"

"But you said that their house was destroyed...-" Harry said.

"They didn't keep their money in their house, boy! Nah, first stop for us is Gringotts." Hagrid replied as they left the shack.

"Wizards have banks?"

"O' course, But just one, Gringott's, run by goblins."

"Goblins?" Harry asked.

"Yeah, so you would be crazy to try and rob it. Gringott's is the safest place in the world. Except, perhaps for Hogwarts, of course. As a matter of fact, I gotta visit Gringott's anyways. Fer Dumbledore, on Hogwarts business." Hagrid straightened up proudly. "He usually gets me to do the important stuff fer him. Getting' you -an' her...-, getting' things from Gringott's – knows he can trust me, see?"

Harry and Hotaru looked around and noticed that there was only the one row boat that they had used to get to the shack tied to a post.

"How did you get here Hagrid?" Harry asked, looking for another boat.

"Flew." He said simply.

"**Flew!**" Harry and Hotaru exclaimed, their eyes bugging out.

"Yeah – but we'll go back in this. Not supposed ter do magic now that I've got yeh."

They settled down in the boat, Hotaru was staring hard at Hagrid, trying to imagine him flying.

"Seems a shame ter row it though..." Hagrid gave them a sideways glance. "If I were ter, er, speed things up a bit… would yeh mind not tellin' anyone from Hogwarts abou' it?"

"Of course not," Harry said, eager to see more magic.

Hagrid bent over and tapped the boat with his umbrella. A moment later, they were speeding away toward muggle London.

Hotaru sat quietly in one end of the boat.

Sailor Saturn?

**Yes Hotaru.**

Why are my eyes now purple?

**It is the mark of the Saturnian royalty.**

I see… But if I really am Saturnian royalty, why weren't they purple before?

**Your mother suppressed your royal heritage so that I would not show until you opened that letter. The Saturnian seal that you opened help a sacred spell that restored your royal powers. Without it, I wouldn't be able to manifest myself within you.**

But then, why was I able to do… accidental magic?

**You will learn that soon enough, Princess.**

Oh… Sailor Saturn?

**Yes Princess?**

What did my mother mean when she said people would try to kill me?

**There are other sailor scouts, who hate us. They will be at Hogwarts, and they like you will have the soul of a Sailor Scout within them. If they realize that you are my reincarnation, they may surface and try to kill you.**

But why do they hate you so much?

**Because I am the Sailor Scout of Destruction.**

Oh, but does that mean they have to kill you?

**They are merely trying to make sure that I do not unleash my powers. Within me, there is the ability to destroy an entire planet.**

Oh, so because I am your reincarnation, I am going to be subject to possible death at the supposed 'safest place in the world'. Just fabulous.

**You will get used to it.**

Wait, destroy a PLANET?!

**You'll get used to that too.**

----

AngelMeroko: So I say screw the book, I am just not gonna bother and try to do it from memory. Please review, and THANK YOU SOOO MUCH for my faithful reviewers!

Hotaru: -turns into Saturn and bonks Harry on the head with her glaive-

Harry: OW! What was that for?!

Hotaru: You hit my bruise.

Harry: Well Soooorry. It was in the script.

Draco::Blinds everyone with sexiness::

AngelMeroko: My parent's like turning off the computer at night -.-

Hotaru: Stupid parental units!

Harry: At least she HAS parental unit… ::pout::

AngelMeroko: Oh, stop feeling sorry for yourself kid.

Harry: Hey! I am NOT a kid!

AngelMeroko: How old are you in this fic?

Harry: …11…

AngelMeroko::coaxingly:: And how old am I?

Harry: sigh 17…

AngelMeroko: Yes, almost 18. So who is the kid here?

Harry::gritting teeth:: Me…

AngelMeroko: Yes, that is right. Hotaru, go get him a treat.

Hotaru/Draco: Hah! Sucker!

Harry: How did you get here Malfoy!

Draco: Uh, I walked through the door, duh?

Harry: Whatever.

AngelMeroko: Well, I have decided to do bloopers again!

Crowd: cheers

AngelMeroko: …But not now HAH!

Crowd::turns into an angry mob::

AngelMeroko: Ah! Hotaru, take care of them! Bye bye reviewers! And don't forget to review…or you aren't a reviewer anymore, lol. OH! And the bloopers will be at the end of the story

Hotaru: Wow… That hurt. Now I have a stomach ache. ::pouts::

Harry: Are you okay Hotaru?

::puts hand on shoulder::

Draco::hits Harry:: Back of my girl Potter!

::Draco and Hotaru walk away::

Harry: Why do they always do that... ::wanders away::

AngelMeroko: Oh well, till next time... please review!


	7. Chapter 7

After a few hours of being on the boat, they finally got to land. It had been relatively quiet, as they were walking down the streets of Muggle London. That is, until they reached a building that looked old and damp. Most of the Muggles were walking right past it, as though they didn't even notice it was there.

"Ah, the Leaky Cauldron… this place is famous, it is." Hagrid said, as he steered them inside.

For a famous place it was rather… dark, and dreary. There was a few old women in the corner. One was drinking a sherry, while another was smoking a cigar. There was one in particular who had a gloved hand and looked up with a peculiar gleam in her eyes when they arrived. As soon as they entered, all the chattering came to an abrupt stop.

Hagrid walked up to the bar, with Harry and Hotaru trailing behind him. Everyone seemed to know Hagrid, they smiled and waved at him as they passed. The barman, who was bald, reached for a glass.

"The usual Hagrid?" he asked

"Can't Tom, I'm on official Hogwarts business." Said Hagrid, clapping a giant hand on Harry's shoulder.

"Good Lord," the barman whispered, looking closely at Harry's forehead. "Is this… Can it be?"

The Leaky Cauldron was suddenly completely silent.

"Bless my soul… Harry Potter, what an honor!" he hurried out from behind the bar. "Welcome back, Mr. Potter, welcome back!"

Harry didn't know what to say, but all of a sudden, everyone was coming up to him and greeting him.

Hotaru stepped into the background, when she felt someone's gaze on her back.

Sailor Saturn awoke at that moment.

**Hotaru. Someone from the palace is here.**

_**How can you tell?**_

**I can feel the magical aura of a servant from Saturn.**

Hotaru turned around, and found one of the old women staring right at her. The same one who had given her a peculiar look earlier. Hotaru walked toward her, and as she did, the old woman stood. When Hotaru reached her, the old woman leaned down and whispered in her ear.

"Welcome, Princess."

Hotaru just stared at her.

"You probably do not know who I am… I was dispatched by your mother to help you to get into your vault to get your school things." Said the old woman with a badly suppressed grin on her face. "Maybe this will help you to trust me a bit more." The old woman pulled the glove off of her hand and showed it to Hotaru. On the woman's hand was a tattoo of the Saturnian symbol. It was emitting a faint violet glow. "It hasn't glowed since I was with your mother, the Queen." She said fondly.

"I see." Hotaru said slightly awkwardly. She felt a bit nervous, but the mark on the woman's hand made her feel more at ease.

"Well, we might as well be off." The old woman said, cheerfully.

_**Trust her, and go.**_

Hotaru nodded, and allowed the old woman to lead her away, while Harry was being bombarded by people.

The old lady lead her to the back of the pub, where there was a brick wall. She began to count them and when she got to the right one, she simply tapped it 3 times and the bricks began to rearrange themselves. All at once, there was a large walkway leading into what looked like a large downtown area.

"Welcome, to Diagon Alley, Miss Hotaru."

-----

Meanwhile, Harry was being bombarded by people wanting to shake his hand.

"Doris Crockford, Mr. Potter, can't believe I am meeting you at last." said an old woman, who grabbed his hand and was shaking it vigorously.

"Delighted Mr. Potter, just can't tell you. Diggle is the name, Dedalus Diggle."

"I've seen you before!" Harry said excitedly. "You bowed to me once."

"He remembers me!" he cried excitedly.

"Professor Quirrell!" said Hagrid. "Harry, this is Professor Quirrell, he will be one of your teachers at Hogwarts."

"P-P-Potter," stammered Professor Quirrell, grasping Harry's hand, but let go quickly as though he had been burned. "C-c-can't t-tell you how p-pleased I am to meet you."

"What sort of magic do you teach, Professor Quirrell?"

D-Defense Against the D-Dark Arts," he muttered as though he preferred not to think about it. "N-Not that your going to n-need it, eh P-Potter?" he laughed nervously. "You'll be g-getting your e-equipment, I suppose? I've g-got to p-pick up a n-new book on v-v-vampires, m-myself." He looked terrified at the thought.

But the others wouldn't let Quirrell keep Harry all to himself. It was several minutes before Hagrid was able to get Harry out of the mob and lead him in back.

"Wait, where is Hotaru?" Harry asked Hagrid.

"Er, she left already." Hagrid muttered distractedly as he counted bricks on the large wall.

""Left?" asked Harry incredulously. "With who?"

"Eh, I dunno, some old lady."

"What?" Harry asked, alarmed. "She could have been kidnapped!"

"Nah, the kid went right over ter' her… looked ter me they was old friends."

"Oh…" Harry said, not quite convinced. He decided that he would keep a lookout for her.

"Alright, stand back, Harry…"

He tapped the wall three times, with the tip of his pink umbrella.

The brick he touched quivered. In the middle, a small hole appeared – it grew wider and wider - a second later, they were facing an archway large enough for even Hagrid to walk through.

"Welcome," Hagrid said. "To Diagon Alley…"

---------------

"This way, Young Mistress." The old woman said, walking down the crowded alley.

"Um, alright… by the way, what is your name ma'am?" Hotaru asked, hesitantly.

The old woman looked back, seeming slightly surprised, and then hit a hand to her forehead.

"Oh, of course… My apologies, Princess." The old woman said, laughing a bit. "My name is Kurata."

"Oh, pleased to meet you Miss Kurata." Hotaru said, holding her hand out.

Kurata just stared at her, and then began to laugh, took her hand, and shook it.

"Just call me Kurata, Princess." Kurata replied.

"Then please call me Hotaru. It makes me feel more comfortable." Hotaru requested.

After a moment of hesitation, Kurata consented.

"Come with me, Hotaru."

She led Hotaru down the alley, filled with strange stores. Some had large things that looked like Dutch Ovens of all sizes, some had animals, and some even had broom sticks on display, though she didn't know why. Some of the stores had things that she didn't even know what were called.

Soon, however, they got to a snowy white building. It towered high, above the other shops, and standing beside it's large bronze doors, uniformed in scarlet and gold was –

"Gringotts." Kurata said.

"What's –" Hotaru began.

"That's a Goblin." She replied quickly, and softly as they approached it.

Though for some reason Hotaru didn't feel frightened by the strange looking goblin.

**That is because Goblins worship, and are loyal to the planet Saturn and it's royal family. **Sailor Saturn told her.

_Oh… I see._ Hotaru thought.

The Goblin was about a head shorter then Hotaru, he had a swarthy, clever face, a pointed beard and very long fingers and feet. He bowed as they walked inside. Now there was another pair of doors, with an engraving that read…

_**Enter stranger, but take heed**_

_**Of what awaits the sin of greed,**_

_**For those who take, but do not earn,**_

_**Must pay dearly in their turn,**_

_**So if you seek beneath our floors, **_

_**A treasure that was never yours,**_

_**Thief, you have been warned, beware**_

_**Of finding more then treasure there.**_

"Yes, you would be crazy to try and rob it." Kurata said with a slight grin.

Hotaru just looked ahead with wide eyes.

A pair of goblins bowed then through the doors and they were in a vast marble hall. About one hundred more goblins were sitting on high stools behind a long counter, scribbling in large ledgers, weighing coins in brass scales, examining precious stones through eyeglasses, etc. There were a great many doors, too many to count leading off the hall, and yet more goblins were showing people in and out of them. Kurata led Hotaru to the counter, toward a free goblin.

"Good morning." Kurata said, casually.

The goblin looked up, obviously annoyed by this distraction, while he was scribbling in his ledger.

"We have come to take some gold out of the vault of…" she whispered the last part. "Saturn."

The Goblin's eyes went wide, as he looked at Hotaru.

"What is the password, he asked Hotaru."

Hotaru's breath hitched. Password? She didn't know a password… then words just formed in her mind.

"Watashi wa name wo, Hotaru Aneese Riddle, Saturn no Hime-desu."

Hotaru looked rather surprised at what she had said, where had that come from?

**That was the ancient language. You roughly said, "My name is Hotaru Reina Riddle, Princess of Saturn." **Sailor Saturn explained.

_But how did I know what to say? How do I know that language?_ Hotaru asked, confused.

**You know it, because it is in your blood, and therefore, a part of you. **

The goblin looked rather surprised, and stumbled to the floor. He got to his knees and bowed low to the floor.

"Princess… the princess has returned to us!" he murmured excitedly.

"Excuse me, we do not wish to draw attention to ourselves, can we just go to the vault?" Kurata said, annoyed.

Hotaru however, was incredibly surprised when the goblin dropped to his knees in front of her.

"Yes, please stand up." She begged him.

He rose and began to lead them to one of the many doors. He opened the door for them, and Hotaru, who had fully expected more marble, was surprised once again, to see a narrow, stone passage way, lit with flaming torches. It sloped steeply down, and there were little tracks in the ground. The goblin whistled and a small cart stopped in front of them. They climbed in and the cart shot off.

They went blazing through a maze of passages, Hotaru was beginning to get a bit queasy by the time they stopped at a platform.

Hotaru, Kurata and the goblin got out of the cart.

"So... how do we open the vault?" Kurata asked, breaking the silence that had formed.

"The Princess must only touch the wall." The Goblin said.

Hotaru walked toward the wall, and nervously pressed her palm gently against the cold stone.

All at once, a small area on the wall began to glow. Hotaru stepped back, startled. Then the small, glowing area disappeared and the Goblin and Kurata walked inside. Hotaru followed then and then let out an audible gasp when she saw the inside. Inside that small entrance was mountains upon mountains of large gold piece, bronze pieces and silver pieces.

"I-Is this all mine?" Hotaru asked, timidly.

"Yes, Princess." Kurata said, laughing. She pulled out a large burlap sack, and began filling it with the gold, silver and bronze.

"The gold ones are galleons." Kurata explained. "Seventeen silver sickles to a galleon, twenty-nine bronze knuts to a sickle. It is easy to remember once you get the hang of it."

Kurata made her way to the back of the vault and searched the back wall, with the back of her hand against it. After a few minutes, the symbol of Saturn began to glow on the wall. It was large enough to be half Hotaru's height and as wide as she was. It too, was glowing violet.

"I am starting to get used to this whole Saturn symbol thing." Hotaru said under her breath.

"Princes- I mean, Hotaru, come over here." Kurata said, motioning to the symbol. As Hotaru moved closer to the back wall, the symbol's glow began to darken. That is, the glow was becoming stronger, and a darker violet until she was a foot away. At this point it was practically pulsating with dark energy, and Hotaru's hand was drawn to the wall. The moment she touched it, a section of the wall disintegrated. Inside, there was an almost blinding purple light. When the light dimmed, there was a long bed at the back of the small room.

Hotaru took a step forward into the room and realized that there was a body on the bed. A woman with flowing black hair. Hotaru moved forward cautiously, her eyes widening with every step that she took. The woman on the bed was deathly pale, and she wasn't breathing.

_**Look on her chest.**_

Hotaru looked down onto the woman's chest. There was a Locket resting right above her breasts. It had a light purple crystal that had crystal spikes protruding outward.

"Take it my daughter."

Hotaru looked around, but saw no one.

_Who was that?_

_**What are you talking about?**_

_A woman told me to 'take it.'_

Sailor Saturn was silent for a moment.

_**That was your mother. This crystal will turn into a locket when you pick it up, and will turn back into the crystal when you transform. **_

_But why didn't you have this when I saw you… When you first appeared to me?_

_**Since your mother was no longer my vessel, and she possessed the locket, I no longer had it. **_

_Oh…_

_**This locket is an integral part of your transformation to Sailor Saturn, however, you will still need one more thing.**_

_What is it?_

_**You shall see Princess.**_

Hotaru reached down and picked the locket up from her mother's dead body. Instantly it turned into a heart shaped golden locket with a purple stone inside. As Hotaru gazed at the locket, she noticed her mother's face twitched into a smile and then began to disappear.

"Mother!" Hotaru cried.

"Hotaru, you have made me proud…" The voice seemed much farther away now than it had before. It was fading out, as though it was being taken away. "I love you."

Silence.

"MOTHER!" Hotaru cried again, and fell to the ground as the body completely disappeared. Although she had never actually met her mother, she felt a deep connection to her through her Saturnian blood.

_**Hotaru, get a hold of yourself!**_

Hotaru suddenly snapped out of what seemed like a daze. The small pieces of gold and jewels that adorned the room had begun to levitate, surrounded by violet light and were slowly being crushed into themselves.

As soon as Hotaru came back to her senses, everything clattered to the ground. Tears that Hotaru hadn't even known were there were still cascading down her cheeks. She slowly wiped her eyes, and the stray tears from her face and she was back to herself. Hotaru left the room, looking normal again. The only difference was the beautiful golden locket that now graced her chest.

She turned to the goblin again, "We are ready to go back to the surface." She said.

They got back in the cart, when they got back to the surface, they left Gringotts.

Kurata had been quiet the whole way back to the outside. She had learned never to ask questions of a personal nature to the Royalty.

"Okay, where to first?" Kurata said brightly, holding up the Hogwarts letter.

Hotaru, who was now feeling a sense of peace, and was feeling better gave Kurata a small smile and shrugged.

"Let's go to Madam Malkins." She said, leading Hotaru into the crowd. Everything was loud and bustling on the walkway, but when they reached Madam Malkins, everything was quiet.

"Hotaru, I have some business to attend to… would you mind if I left you here to get fitted?"

Hotaru nodded numbly, and Kurata left the store.

Madam Malkin was a squat, smiling witch dressed all in mauve.

"Hogwarts dear?" she said. "Got another here, I have another young woman being fitted, in fact."

In the back of the shop, was a tall girl with long, brown hair in a high ponytail. She was standing on a stool, while a second witch pinned her robes up. She looked much older that Hotaru. Madam Malkin stood Hotaru on a stool next to her, slipped a long robe over her head and began to pin it to the right length.

"Hello," The girl said. "Hogwarts too?"

"Yeah." Hotaru replied.

"My friends are next door, buying my new books for me. How about you?"

"Um, I am not sure. Kurata left, so I think I am going to wait for her to get back.

"Oh, well… what's your name?" the girl asked, kindly.

"Hotaru."

"I'm Makoto, sixth year at Hogwarts, Gryffindor."

Makoto looked over at Hotaru, "So, what house are you gonna be in? You look like a 1st year."

"I don't know which house I want to be in yet." Hotaru said, wondering in her mind what she meant by 'house'.

"Oh, well, I have friends in most of the houses… except for Slytherin. They are just a bunch of pure-blooded freaks. The only one who tries to get along with them is my friend Usagi. But she doesn't know any better, she is too nice." Makoto said, smiling a little at the thought of her friend.

Hotaru smiled politely and nodded. She thought about this strange girl and what the other kids and Hogwarts would be like.

"If you want, I could show you around at Hogwarts… Well, if you are in Gryffindor. But if you are in Ravenclaw, I'm sure Ami would be happy to help you. "

"Um, yeah… that would be nice." Hotaru said uncertainly.

"So, have you ever played Quidditch?" Makoto asked.

"Um… no, what's that?" Hotaru asked quietly.

Makoto gapped at her in disbelief. "You have never even _heard_ of Quidditch? Where have you been!" Makoto said incredulously.

Hotaru answered meekly, "Um, I have been living with the Dursleys… With Harry."

"Here we go, Miss Riddle, now let's get you sized."

"Harry, as in Harry Potter, The boy who went to live with Muggles?" Makoto asked.

"Yes, Harry Potter… we grew up together." Hotaru said.

Madam Malkin stopped measuring, and Makoto stopped talking.

"_The_ Harry Potter?" Makoto asked. "Does he really have a lightning shaped scar?!" She said excitedly.

"Well, yes." Hotaru said uncertainly, confused by the excitement.

"That is amazing!" Makoto exclaimed, getting a dreamy look on her face.

"Well dear, you are done." Madam Malkin said to Makoto. She jumped down and twirled in her new robes.

"Well, see you at Hogwarts Hotaru." She said, waving and left.

Hotaru waved, and it was silent in the store for a few moments, until the door opened once more, and a boy walked in.

Madam Malkin turned at the sound.

"Oh, Mister Malfoy, I have been expecting you. Go stand on the stool, I am almost ready for you." She said quickly, trying to finish with Hotaru as quickly as she could.

The boy looked over at Hotaru, as if inspecting her, and nodded.

Hotaru acknowledged him and said, "Hello, I am Hotaru Riddle."

Draco's eyes narrowed, as if he were trying to recall a pure blood line with that name, but he shook it off.

"I'm Draco Malfoy. You a first year as well?" he asked nonchalantly

Hotaru nodded, but she felt comfortable in this boy's presence, unlike the girl Makoto, when she had felt strange.

"Are you a pure blood?" He asked suspiciously.

Hotaru paused for a second, not knowing what he meant, before reluctantly nodding.

"Good, I don't think they should let the other kind in…" Draco muttered.

"Well, you are done." Madam Malkin said to Hotaru. She jumped off the stool, and walked toward the door.

"See you at Hogwarts, Riddle." Draco said.

She stopped. "See ya." She said, and walked out the door.

_Where too now? _Hotaru asked, Sailor Saturn.

_**Let's get you an animal… an owl, they are useful.**_

Hotaru nodded. _Which way? _

_**To the left.**_

Hotaru looked over and saw a sign that said, "Eeylops Owl Emporium'. She walked to it and opened the door. The store was dark, and full of rustling, Jewel bright eyes.

Hotaru walked through, looking at the owls, and feeling rather at home in the dark. As she walked through, she had a strange feeling. She heard a low hooting sound and turned to find an owl, black as tar. Its eyes were dark purple, and he was rather large.

"Cronus." Hotaru said to the owl, holding her arm up.

The owl took flight and landed on her outstretched arm. His large talons sunk into her arm, drawing blood. She felt it trickle down her arm, but she didn't care. She began walking toward the front of the shop, muttering, "Cronus…"

Hotaru walked to the witch in charge, to pay for her owl. The witch eyed the owl warily, then her eyes widened as she noticed that he was perched on Hotaru's arm.

"That's a crazy bird, that is. Attacks anyone who tries to buy him. Tons of people 'ave tried; don' blame 'em. He is a rather handsome bird. But he has attacked anyone else who came near him." The witch gave Hotaru an approving shrug proceeded to tell Hotaru how much he cost.

She paid 3 galleons for Cronus, and walked out of the store with a cage, but had him on her shoulder, with his black head tucked under his wing.

_**Do you realize that owl is a descendant of the owl that your mother hadSaturnian owls have one true name, and the person who calls it is the one they serve forever. **_

_Really?_

_**Yes, only the person they are destined for know it.**_

Hotaru looked up at the owl resting happily on her shoulder and smiled.

_Where to next?_

_**Ollivanders. You will need a wand. **_

_A wand?_

_**Of course. You are only half Saturnian, but you are also half wizard. This means that you can use wizarding magic, something no pure Saturnian could do. This makes you the strongest Saturnian royalty in the line.**_

Hotaru blushed at the compliment.

_**Straight ahead.**_

Hotaru walked into Ollivanders and automatically felt a strange aura in this store.

_**Ollivander is the best wand maker in the world.**_

Hotaru simply nodded, and looked around.

There were thousands of thin, long boxes piled everywhere, right up to the ceiling. The very dust and silence seemed to tingle with special magic.

"Good afternoon." Said a soft voice. Hotaru stiffened and turned to the source of the was an old man standing just to the right of her. His wide, pale eyes shining like moons through the gloom of the shop.

"Hello, are you mister Ollivander?" Hotaru asked.

"Why yes, I am." Replied Ollivander quietly. "But please, just call me Ollivander, everyone else does Miss Riddle."

Hotaru stepped back a bit.

"How do you know my name?" She asked.

"You have your mothers hair and eyes, and your fathers face." Ollivander replied, not taking his eyes off of her. "I knew your mother well… A bit of a temperament… " He said, and paused as if remembering something. "Anyhow, measurements, measurements. Which is your wand arm?"

At Hotaru's confused expression, he said, "Are you left or right handed?"

"Oh, left." Hotaru replied. She held out her left arm and a tape measure began measuring. It seemed like forever before he began giving her wand's to try.

"Evergreen. Hair from the tail of a unicorn – very hard to catch -, 8 ¾ inches, springy." He thrust the wand into her hand. Hotaru stood there for a moment, confused by what she was supposed to do.

"Well, give it a wave." Ollivander said.

Hotaru waved her wand just as the front door to the shop swung open. Half the boxes in one aisle of wands flew out of their places and fell to the floor.

Hotaru jumped about a foot in the air and dropped the wand on the counter with wide eyes.

"Nope, not the wand for you." Ollivander said, putting the wand back in it's box.

"Hotaru!" Harry said, as he came up from the front door.

"Harry!" Hotaru flung herself at him. "I am getting my wand."

"I can see that." Harry said, smiling.

"I believe I have the right wand for you just back here…" Ollivander said from the back of the shop.

As he made his way to the back of the store. He pulled out a black box with the Saturn symbol carved into it. He blew the dust off and took it to the counter, and set it down. He opened the box and stared lovingly at it. He looked up and saw Harry.

"Ah, Harry Potter. I knew I would be seeing you one of these days." Ollivander said, his eyes wide, as they had been with Hotaru. "Stand back Mister Potter, I will find a wand for you next.

Harry gave Hotaru's hand a squeeze and then he nervously took a few steps back.

"Ah yes…" Ollivander said, getting back to the task of finding Hotaru the right wand. "Ebony, dragon heart string, 11 ½ inches, Flexible. But there is one thing that sets this wand apart from any other… The wood this wand was made with was soaked in the essence of shadow. Extremely difficult to find, and even more difficult to actually obtain. Well, give it a wave." He said, placing the wand in Hotaru's hand.

As soon as it touched her hand, she felt an unbelievable surge of magical power flow through her. She waved the wand and Ollivanders shadow came to life, and began dancing around the store. When she lowered it, his shadow went back to normal, and returned to Ollivander.

Ollivander began clapping.

"That is definitely the wand for you, that will be 7 Galleons and 5 knuts."

"Thank you Ollivander." Hotaru said, respectfully. Her heart was still racing from the feeling of magic that she had felt. She ran to give Harry a hug, and as she did so, she remember that she needed to find Kurata.

"Well, Harry, I need to go." Hotaru said apologetically.

"What? Why? Who did you leave with before?" Harry asked a bit protectively.

"She said she was a friend of my mothers." Hotaru said quietly. "I believe her, and she has been very nice to me."

"Alright… I'll see you back at Privet Drive though, right?" Harry asked, hoping that she wouldn't say that she was going to be moving in with this woman.

"Of course Harry." Hotaru said and gave him one final hug.

Ollivander stared as she left.

"She will be great…" he muttered. "Just like her father."

Harry looked up at Ollivander questioningly.

"Ah, now Mister Potter… Which is your wand arm?"

-------------

Hotaru walked out of the dark shop and into the brilliant sunlight outside. She lifted a hand to shield her eyes and began to walk as Sailor Saturn directed her to Flourish and Blotts, the apothecary, and everywhere else she needed to go for school supplies.

"Well, that's the last of it." Hotaru murmured happily to no one in particular, checking off the last thing on her school supplies list.

_**Not quite…**_

_What else do I need?_

_**Go down to the next street called 'Knockturn Alley'. **_

_Alright._

Hotaru walked into Knockturn Alley and began looking around. It was much more dirty and ragged than Diagon Alley. There were people lining the broken down street. Some were carrying trays of fingernails. Some were hunchbacks with scary looks on their faces.

_Um, Sailor Saturn, where are we going? _

_**Just keep walking, I will tell you where to turn. **_

Hotaru nodded and continued walking, looking straight ahead, and ignoring the people on the sides of the street trying to talk to her.

Finally, she came upon a shop called, "Borgin and Burkes".

_**Go in here. **_

Hotaru turned and walked in the door, hesitantly.

The inside of the shop was, if possible, even more gloomy than the outside. There was little light and many different things on the shelves. The first thing she saw was a black and brown, baby snake, slithering around. Hotaru watched it admiringly. She had always loved snakes. She figured it was a boa Constrictor.

"Come here." Hotaru said to the snake. Just as most snakes, he came slithering toward her. But he didn't just come. He wrapped himself around her leg and stayed there. Hotaru grinned and walked to the front desk. She felt Sailor Saturn's consciousness trying to over take hers.

_**I will take it from here. **_

_But I thought you couldn't come out except at Hogwarts?_

_**He will not believe if I do not come out.**_

Hotaru nodded, and let herself be overtaken. All at once she felt as if something was attempting to push itself through her pores, as if it was trying to get out of her. But it didn't hurt, exactly, but it did feel rather strange. Seconds later, Sailor Saturn appeared in front of her. As this was happening, Cronus had taken flight and has taken a perch in the rafters.

"_**Hello Mister Burke."**_Sailor Saturn said, calmly, her voice still carrying the same slightly ominous tone as usual.

There was a man behind the counter that Hotaru hadn't noticed before, and he didn't seem to notice her at the moment. He now came to the counter and peered at her, down his nose. He was rather tall, with a brown hair and beady black eyes that darted around.

"Hello girl." He sneered.

"_**Moch tarne Trans leem de Saturn."**__ Her voice was bold and serious._

Immediately the sneer disappeared from his face, and a revered silence over took the shop. Sailor Saturn looked at him with emotionless eyes as he came out of his stupor.

"Mistress of Saturn, you have come for the…" he coughed, uncomfortably.

She merely nodded, motioned for Hotaru to come, and followed him away from the counter to a secret backroom, which no one knew about but them. She muttered a few words in the ancient Saturnic language, and a door appeared in the middle of the room. She reached forward and opened the door, revealing a subspace closet type thing. She lightly pushed Burke in, and followed him as he reluctantly stepped through. They entered a 'room', with walls like swirling red and black Cosmos. She saw a little box, seemingly floating in midair. She reached out to touch the box. There was a flash of light and it opened. A small black and silver transformation stick floated out of the box. It emanated black light, as it shot to Hotaru's hand.

The moment it touched, there was a burst of black light and Sailor Saturn once again melded into Hotaru's body. Hotaru instinctively held the stick up, above her head and said, "Saturn Planet Power!" and a few seconds later she was standing in the same uniform Sailor Saturn wore.

She held a long glaive, almost twice her height, in one gloved hand and she wore a white leotard with a dark violet mini skirt. On her chest was a black heart with a purple bow, and a violet collar. She also had a golden tiara with a purple gem, so light it was almost white. She was wearing high heeled, black, knee-length boots.

She looked down at herself in wonder, and then looked at Burke, who was now running toward the door. She hurried behind him, but the door slammed and she was stuck in the sub-space closet.

---------------

AngelMeroko: Mua haha, I am almost done with the re-writing!! Only one more chapter I think. :D I am happy.

Draco: Yeah, that's nice Meroko. But I still have only had a small part.

Blaise: Yeah, and I still need to be re-written… Although, who would want to re-write such a sexy beast?

AngelMeroko: Only to make you sexier :P

Blaise: Is that possible?

Pansy: Oh shut up Blaise. We will be in the next chapter.

Blaise: How do you know?

Pansy: Because it is already written you prat. She is just putting chapters together and adding things.

Blaise: Oh… Well, shut up Pansy.

Pansy::Slaps Blaise:: Wanna try that again?

Blaise: No ma'am.

Hotaru: Draco::tackles Draco:: You were actually in the chapter!

Draco: Yeah, finally.

Harry: And I did something that wasn't in the book!

Everyone: Shut up Potter.

Potter:

AngelMeroko: Please review! Even if you have already, just so I know if you like the changes. :D


	8. Chapter 8

"Umm… what do I do?" Hotaru asked, mildly frightened to the point that she was talking out loud, and rightly so under the current circumstances.

**You must open the door from the inside.** **I meant to start your training at Hogwarts… but in the current situation, I suppose we might as well start now, before the air runs out. she continued submissively. **

"Run out of _air_?" Hotaru asked sharply.

**Well, yes. It **_**is**_** a sub-**_**space**_** closet after all. **

Hotaru began trying to minimize her breathing, so as to conserve as much air as possible.

"Well, what do I do?" Hotaru asked.

**Well, that is up to you… you should be able to feel it within you, the power. **

Hotaru began to concentrate, looking throughout her mind for something, anything that could possibly be able to help her.

"I… I don't know what to do! How do I do it!" Hotaru asked, beginning to panic, waiting for the lack of air to take effect.

**Calm yourself **_**now**_**! Panicking will only make things worse. You must reach deep within yourself and summon the power from your soul. Now, concentrate! **

Hotaru winced at the yelling in her head, ad began to try to concentrate.

Please come… Hotaru begged, in her mind, as she searched within herself for the hidden power, lying in wait.

Suddenly it struck her… she closed her eyes and saw a dark globe of energy. She visualized herself reaching out to touch it, and just as she touched it, words popped into her mind.

"Silence Laser!" she yelled, pointing her glaive at where the door had begun up dematerialize. A dark light came from the tip of the blade, slicing through the door. The slice in the door began to glow, before it exploded. Hotaru instinctively held her glaive in front of her, creating a shield of dark energy. All of the debris from the door, hit it and disintegrated. The whole ordeal took place in a few seconds, and when it was over, Hotaru lowered her glaive, blinked and stared in wonder at the door… or what was left of the wood on the hinges from the outside.

**Congratulations Hotaru… you have completed your first attack.** There was a hint of pride in her voice. **Yes, the line of Saturn is a regal one.**

Hotaru's chest puffed up with pride, as she walked through the doorway.

"Wait, what are we going to do about the sub space closet?" Hotaru asked, as she stopped and turned to look back.

_**It will be gone within 10 minutes. **_

Hotaru's eyes widened as the sub-space closet began to disappear, slowly, before her eyes.

_**Well, shall we go then? **_

Hotaru nodded, just as Burke came back to see what happened. As soon as he saw Hotaru, his eyes widened, and he looked back at the SSC that was disappearing. He started to run, and yelled, "Get out of my shop, monster!" as he went.

Hotaru looked after him, slightly hurt at being called a monster. She took a look at herself in a mirror within the shop.

_Is it okay that he knows who I am and what I look like?_

_**He will have forgotten within a few minutes.**_

_How?_

_**You need not know. Just know that anyone who I do not wish to remember, will not… That is, except for the other Sailor Scouts. **_At the mention of the other Warriors, Sailor Saturn's voice faded a bit. _**Anyways, you will need to change back before you can leave. **_

_How do I do it?_

_**Just imagine that the power is going to the back of your mind. Imagine your normal self.**_

Hotaru nodded, more to herself than the Sailor Saturn, and did as she was told. The uniform and the glaive disappeared and seemed to be stored in the locket.

Hotaru left Knockturn Alley and was once again in the sunlight. It hurt her eyes at first, and she had to shield her eyes with her hand. Kurata came hurrying toward her.

"Hotaru, where have you been, I have been trying to find you!" Kurata said frantically. "Thank the Gods you're alright!"

Hotaru giggled a little, in spite of herself.

Hotaru was rather tired after the whole day, and on the way home she fell asleep. When she woke up, she found herself once again, in front of the Dursley house. She sighed, and looked at the ticket Kurata had given her.

"Platform nine and three quarters, What's that?" she asked in wonder, as she snuck back into the house and into her cupboard.

-------------------

Harry had gotten his wand, his books, his robes, and his new owl which he had named Hedwig. As he left Diagon Alley with Hagrid, he wondered aloud where Hotaru might be and whether she would be at the house.

"Yeh should hope not. Bad news, that girl." Hagrid mutter darkly.

Harry jumped in front of Hagrid.

"Why are you so mean to her?!" Harry practically yelled at Hagrid. Everyone in the Leaky Cauldron stopped what they were doing to look over at them. What could be seen of Hagrid through his wild facial hair turned scarlet as he ushered Harry to a private room.

"Listen 'Arry… I really don' wan' ter be the one ter say this." Hagrid started awkwardly.

"Tell me what?" Harry urged, genuinely curious about why this man was so rude to the only friend he had ever had in his life.

"Do yeh know who tha' girl's parents are?" Hagrid asked timidly.

"No, why does that matter? Hotaru is Hotaru." Harry said stubbornly.

"Well 'Arry… The truth is… That girl's-"

"She has a name." Harry cut in, tired of Hagrid referring to Hotaru as 'that girl'. "And it is Hotaru, so would you mind using it?"

"Fine, Hotaru then." Hagrid said, mildly embarrassed at being corrected by an 11 year old. "Her dad… Well, I s'pose I should just go on an' say it." Hagrid mumbled. "Her dad wa' Lord… Lord… Her dad is the one tha' killed yer parents 'Arry."

"You mean…" Harry said in disbelief. "You mean Voldemort is Hotaru's dad?" He asked weakly. It was as if his whole world had been turned upside down. This wouldn't change anything between himself and Hotaru, he decided.

_Or will it?_ A part of him asked.

Of course not, he assured himself stubbornly.

"I see." Harry mumbled.

"It's gettin' late 'Arry, and yeh need yer rest." Hagrid said hurriedly.

Harry stood and followed Hagrid out of the Leaky Cauldron. He had a lot to think about.

----------------

It was 10 o'clock at night when he had gotten to Number 4 Privet Drive. The house was no longer boarded up. It was not in the best of shape, the lawn had not been mowed in a while. Seeing the Dursleys car in the driveway told him that they were indeed here though. Harry went into the house, seeing all of the lights were off, he crept to the stairs. He paused for a moment as he stared at the cupboard where Hotaru was. He could hear movement within it, telling him that she was still awake. He hurried up the stairs, not feeling ready to talk to her after what he had found out that day.

The next few weeks were relatively normal, with the exception of Dudley being too afraid to come near either Harry or Hotaru. Harry had not really talked to Hotaru very much, though she seemed rather reclusive herself. Not sharing the cupboard helped them to stay away from each other.

Harry wasn't quite sure why he was avoiding Hotaru, but he was constantly assuring himself that it was not because of her father. He knew that what her father had done, had nothing to do with her. She was his best friend. Still, he kept his distance from her, and she seemed to do the same.

---------------------

Hotaru had noticed Harry was trying to stay away from her, though she didn't know why. She thought that maybe being with Hagrid had turned him against her. She wondered if he had told Harry something to make him hate her.

_No way, Harry would never hate me… Would he?_ Hotaru shook herself from her thoughts. It wasn't like she was really making an effort to talk to him. She was becoming a bit of a recluse from the experience with her mother at the Gringotts bank. How many kids could say that they had watched their own mother – whom they had never met – disintegrate?

Hotaru clutched her pillow. She had been using the same pillow for years. Since before she could remember. The Dursleys had never bothered to get her anything new. It had been a month since the meeting with Hagrid, and they would be going to the King's Cross Station tomorrow. The last month had gone by rather fast. Harry had been ignoring her… and when he wasn't ignoring her he was making snide remarks to her. Uncle Vernon had only beaten her 12 times though, so that helped time to go faster.

Lately she had caught Harry staring venomously at her, and she had no idea why. Hotaru also hadn't had much in the way of contact with Sailor Saturn. She had told her that she needed time to recover from coming out of her body.

The locket was almost taken away by Vernon Dursley, who was convinced that she had stolen it. She'd had to hide it for a few days until he forgot about it. She still had the bruises all over her stomach from those beatings. That had been the last time she had talked to Sailor Saturn. She still remembered the whole thing.

**-FLASHBACK-**

"Stupid girl, I'll teach you to steal!" Vernon Dursley snarled as he kicked Hotaru in the stomach.

_**Hotaru, fight him.**_

_I can't!_

"I didn't-" Hotaru desperately tried to explain. However, Vernon didn't care to hear it.

_**Hotaru, do it now.**_

"Shut the bloody Hell up you filthy little liar!" He yelled at her as he kicked her once more. The force of the kick sending her to the edge of the stairs.

_**Hotaru!**_

_I CAN'T!_

Vernon looked at her with distaste, his beady little eyes flashing with anger. They both knew that this had nothing to do with the supposed 'theft' of the locket and everything to do with him knowing something she didn't. He had always told her that it was her fault that her and Harry were dumped on their doorstep though she had no idea what he meant.

Everything moved in slow motion as Vernon pulled his leg back for another kick. Hotaru squeezed her eyes shut as his foot connected once again with her already bruised stomach. She let out a yelp as she toppled over the edge of the stairs and fell, every step hitting her slight frame hard. After what seemed like an eternity, she finally in the floor. She looked up at Uncle Vernon who had a sadistic grin on his face. He clomped down the stairs and grabbed her by the collar of her shirt. He dragged her to the cupboard, choking her slightly as he dragged her, and threw her into it, slammed and locked the door and left. As she hit the wall, the back of her head caught the tip of a nail that was slightly protruding from it. It sliced the back of her head.

Hotaru reached a hand back and tenderly touched it, and brought her shaking hand back, and up to her nose. She smelled the blood, but it didn't make her feel sick like it used to.

Hotaru heard Vernon clomping up the stairs purposefully so as to worsen the headache he knew she must have.

_**Hotaru… I don't have enough strength right now to help you fully.**_

_What do you mean?_

Hotaru saw a faint dark purple glow, and the cut on the back of her head, as well as he headache disappeared.

**-END FLASHBACK-**

This had been the night she had returned from Diagon Alley. Hotaru wondered if the reason she hadn't been able to communicate with Sailor Saturn was that her body was too weak. Whatever the reason, since then, Sailor Saturn had been eerily silent, except for a few brief times when she would say something encouraging to Hotaru. But her voice always sounded far off.

Hotaru got up, off the floor and opened the cupboard door. She stealthily went outside, to look at the stars. The sky was overcast that night. She only hoped that this wasn't an omen for the school year she was about to leave for.

--------------

Hotaru stood in front of the Kings Cross train station. She flipped her now longer, black hair over her shoulder, uncertainly. She stared at the divider for platforms 9 and 10. Glancing at her ticket to make sure she was in the right spot, she noticed Harry coming toward her. She quickly darted into platform 10 and watched as he walked up to the divider, looking uncertain. She was somewhat afraid to talk to Harry, and she wasn't sure why.

"Platform 9 ¾ right this way, hurry up, we're going to be late!"

Hotaru looked over to locate the owner of the voice. It was a short plump woman with flaming red hair, accompanied by a hoard of children who also had red hair. She watched as Harry asked how to get onto the platform.

Next thing she knew, they were running right towards the divider, and then disappeared. At last Harry went and Hotaru came. She looked at the clock. 10:56, the train would leave in four minutes. She closed her eyes and walked into the divider, expecting to hit the wall, but instead an unexpected wave of noise came over her. She opened her eyes and saw a large platform with people all over the place.

She looked up and saw a sign that said, "Platform 9 ¾". She looked over and saw the scarlet steam engine and walked toward it. Kids were piling into it and she got in line to get in. Finally she was in the train, after much pushing and shoving. Now the trek to find an empty compartment began. Compartment after compartment that she opened was full, she was nearing the end of the train and her stomach was empty and growling. She fingered the gold coins in her pocket that Kurata had given to her. She had received a ride from her in a strange car. She was honestly surprised that Kurata had received a driver's license because of how badly she drove.

Finally she found an empty compartment. She sat down thankfully and leaned her head back against the back of the seat. After a few minutes she heard the sounds of footsteps in the corridor, and a few seconds later, a girl opened the door to her compartment. She had short black hair and a slightly upturned nose, with puffy, teary brown eyes.

"C-can I s-sit with y-you?" she asked between hiccups. Hotaru nodded and the girl walked in, set her bag down and sat down. "What happened?" Hotaru asked.

"D-Draco kicked m-me out." She said, still crying. Hotaru thought she remembered the name 'Draco' from somewhere, but she couldn't place it. She moved next to the girl and patted her back softly. After a little while she calmed down and looked over at Hotaru. "Thanks." She said, smiling.

"No problem." Hotaru replied, happy that the girl was feeling better.

"So, what year are you in?" the girl asked.

"Well, this is my first year…" Hotaru said, only to be interrupted by the girl.

"Oh, no kidding?" she gasped. "I'm a first year too! My name is Pansy Parkinson." She said, extending her hand out to Hotaru. "Nice to meet you."

"Nice to meet you too… I am Hotaru… Hotaru Riddle." Hotaru said, shaking Pansy's hand.

"Riddle?" she asked. "Your last name is Riddle? Are you a pure blood?"

"Um…" Hotaru started. _What's a 'Pure blood'?_

_**Someone who has two magical parents. And yes, you are a pure blood. Although, different from others.**_

"Yes, I am a pure blood." She stated.

"Hmmm…" Pansy sighed.

Just then the Trolley lady came around. Pansy asked Hotaru if she wanted anything. She was about to say 'No, thank you', when her stomach let out a tremendous growl. She blushed and Pansy laughed.

She bought some of everything and they began to eat the snacks. Hotaru grabbed a box to Bertie Bott's Every Flavor Beans. She had always liked Jelly Beans and she hadn't had any in a long time. Pansy watched her with an interested expression on her face. Hotaru had told her that she had been raised by non-magical people ("Ugh, Muggles?" she had replied) and that she had been raised with Harry Potter.

"Harry Potter? She shrieked. "Oh, you poor girl… Raised with The Boy Who Lived…"

"Why is he called that?" Hotaru asked, curiously.

Pansy gasped when she heard that Hotaru didn't know that Harry was famous.

"Well, he is rather famous, but it depends on who you ask if what happened was good or not." Pansy said matter-of-factly.

"Well what happened?" Hotaru asked again.

"Well… He vanquished the Dark Lord." Pansy said. "Everyone calls him You-Know-Who, but he was known mostly as…" Pansy looked around. "Voldemort." She finished in a whisper.

Hotaru felt Sailor Saturn's shock.

_Do you know who he is?_

_**Yes. It is amazing that he was beaten by a mere baby.**_

Hotaru sat in wonder and popped a white bean in her mouth which she began to chew. Almost immediately, her face puckered up. She spit it out, and began gagging. Pansy laughed and patted her back the way Hotaru had patted hers.

"That was salt." Pansy said, giggling. "When they say every flavor, they MEAN every flavor."

Hotaru looked at at her, looked at the box and then started laughing too. They had fun eating the beans and talking. After a few hours they were notified that they would arrive at the school within an hour. Pansy pulled her black robes from her bag. She looked over at Hotaru.

"Where are your bags?" She asked.

"Oh, um… they are with a friend, I need to go get my robes, I'll be right back." She replied, shakily.

"Oh, okay." Pansy said. Hotaru left as Pansy started changing. She shut the door, and looked up and down the corridor, to make sure no one was watching. She pulled her transformation wand out of her shirt. She pulled the necklace she had made with it off and ripped the air with it.

Sailor Saturn had showed this to her at one point as she had no room for her things in the cupboard. She reached in and grabbed her black robe, and wizarding wand, and pulled them out. She closed the rip and put her necklace back on, carefully tucking her wand into her shirt. She walked back into the compartment and closed the door. Pansy had already changed and was staring out the window. Hotaru began to change, but blushed profusely and sat down.

"You don't have to be shy. We are both girls, you don't have anything I haven't seen before." She said, laughing. Hotaru looked down. She knew that she was a bit more… developed than most girls her age. Sailor Saturn had told her that it was natural for people in the Saturnian Royal Family. But that wasn't the only thing bothering her. It was also her scars and bruises. Sure she healed quickly, but there were still faint bruises on her back and stomach.

"Well, go ahead and change." Pansy said carelessly looking out the window again.

Hotaru hesitantly began to pull off her shirt. Once she got it off she turned her back to Pansy and instantly started pulling her robe on, but at that moment Pansy looked over…

"Oh, my God!" she shrieked. "What the hell happened to your back?" She whispered with wide eyes. She walked toward Hotaru who had frozen. Pansy reach out a hand to touch her back but Hotaru whipped around.

"I-It's nothing!" she replied quickly, trying to pull her robes on. Pansy stopped her and touched her stomach.

"Hotaru, what happened?" she asked again. Hotaru just looked away from her.

"Those Muggles… did they… beat you?" she asked hesitantly. Hotaru nodded slowly and finished pulling her robes on.

"Tell me what happened." Pansy said. They sat down and Hotaru began telling her the whole story. By the time she was done the train had stopped and Pansy was outraged.

"That slimy little son of a BITCH! That bastard! I want to kick his ass!" Pansy raged.

Hotaru's eyes widened. "Pansy, watch your language!"

"Hotaru, you are NOT going back there for the holidays. If you don't want to stay at the school, you can come home with me." Pansy said fiercely.

Hotaru smiled, "Thank you so much Pansy."

Soon the train slowed and eventually stopped.

"Well, I suppose we better get out before we have to fight the crowd." Pansy joked, leaving the compartment with Hotaru in tow.

Soon, Hotaru stood with Pansy before the giant lake. There was a fleet of boats in front of them.

"Alrigh' e'ryone get in, four ter a boat." The large man, Hagrid called out.

Hotaru saw Hagrid and hurried into the boat, with Pansy and moments later a boy climbed in with them.

"Oh, hello Blaise." Pansy said stiffly, looking away.

"Aw, Pansy. You aren't mad at me for Draco kicking you out of the compartment are you?" Blaise asked with a pout. "If it is of any resolve, I tried to talk him into letting you back in again." He said with a grin, his eyes twinkling. Blaise had dark brown hair and deep blue eyes. He looked Italian and had a bit of a tan. His eyes seemed to always be laughing.

"No comment." She answered, feigning an arrogant face which soon dissolved into giggles. "Damn it Blaise, I can never stay mad at you…" Pansy said with a pout.

Blaise grinned, "It must be my charm." He replied cockily. At that moment he noticed that Hotaru was in the boat with them. "Oh… who are you?" he asked.

Hotaru's eyes widened and a blush appeared on her face. She opened her mouth to speak but the words wouldn't come out, she looked over at Pansy for help.

"Oh, this is Hotaru Riddle. She is a first year, like us and she let me sit in her compartment after _you guys-_" She pointed accusingly at him "Kicked me out."

"Ah, thank you very much madam for taking in this poor girl who was so wrongfully treated." Blaise said, giving Hotaru a kiss on the back of her hand. Hotaru blushed a deep crimson. He then started laughing and so did everyone in the boat.

"Oh, don't mind him, Blaise is just the little joker." Pansy told Hotaru.

"Hey, I resemble that remark!" Blaise said, feigning an indignant look.

"Yes Blaise, we know." Pansy said. She leaned over and whispered in Hotaru's ear. "He may be a joker but he can turn into a real bastard if someone messes with his friends… he once almost killed someone for taking my hair ribbon."

Hotaru looked over at Blaise, trying to assess whether he seemed the type to be capable of such an action. She stared at him for several moments, during which time he turned to meet her gaze.

"Hey, you have purple eyes." He said randomly. "That's awesome!"

"What? Let me see!" Pansy said, grabbing Hotaru's chin and pulling it to face her. "Whoa… your right!" she exclaimed.

Hotaru looked away, embarrassed. She had never received this much attention. Especially not for her eyes. Most of the time Vernon made her wear sunglasses. The only attention she had gotten from them was Vernon beating her for having eyes that weren't a natural color.

"You okay?" Blaise asked. Hotaru nodded and turned just as she heard the large man yelling something…

"….Duck!" Was all she heard. She felt Pansy pull her down as they sailed under a blanket of ivy.

After a few minutes they were out from under the ivy and they were coming around a turn. All at once a huge castle loomed over them. It looked like one of those castles you see in haunted movies, with the dark color and the turrets and the dark clouds all around, but at the same time it seemed to glow in a magical way. When they got to the shore they climbed out and made their way to the castle doors. There was an old lady standing at the front doors.

"Welcome first years, I am Professor McGonagall."

Pansy and Blaise pushed their way through the crowd of first years, just as Professor McGonagall finished telling them all to wait outside until they were ready for them.

"What's going to happen?" Hotaru asked Pansy.

"We have to go in the castle, sit on a stool and put on some stupid hat-" Pansy started, but Blaise cut in.

"-And that 'stupid hat' will tell you whether you are to go into Slytherin, Ravenclaw, Hufflepuff or Gryffindor." He finished, then leaned over to whisper in Hotaru's ear.

"Slytherin's the best, that's the one Pans and I want to be in, it's almost guaranteed that we will be though." He said mater-of-factly.

"Gryffindor is the worst, full of a bunch of idiots, who are supposedly 'brave' with hero complex's." He added, pulling a face.

"You should be in Slytherin Hotaru!" Pansy said, punching Hotaru lightly on the shoulder. "Hey look, its Draco!" she said excitedly, pointing through the crowd. As they moved closer they overheard him talking.

"So it's true then… Harry Potter has come to Hogwarts." A boy with white blonde hair and a somewhat tanned complexion was talking to Harry, who Hotaru saw just over the head of a girl in front of her. He was the same boy she had seen in the robes shop. "This is Crabbe, and Goyle." He said, motioning to the two boulder-like guys on either side of him. "And I'm Malfoy, Draco Malfoy." His grey eyes piercing as a tall red headed boy next to Harry snorted, trying to stifle a laugh.

"Think, my names funny do you?" He took a step forward. "No need to ask _yours_. Red hair, and a hand-me-down robe? You must be a _Weasley_." He remarked scornfully. "You'll soon find that some wizarding families are better than others Potter, you don't want to go making friends with the wrong sort. I can help you there." He stuck out his hand, waiting expectantly for Harry to shake it. Harry just looked at his hand, then back at his face.

"I think I can determine the wrong sort for myself, thanks." Harry replied simply, turning away. As he turned she caught his eye. He ignored her and faced his tall red-headed friend. Though, Hotaru did think that she noticed a bit of regret in his eyes.

A scowl appeared on Malfoy's face and the Professor re-appeared.

"We are ready for you now." She said, and led them into the castle.

As they were walking through the entrance hall, a hoard of ghosts appeared over head. One, in particular, started cackling and threw water balloons at them.

Soon, however, they reached two doors. Professor McGonagall opened the doors and led them through, into a large room. The room had 4 long tables, each with students of different colored badges and scarves. There was Yellow and Black, Blue and Bronze, Green and Silver and Red with Gold.

Professor McGonagall led them down a long aisle through the tables, to a platform. On the platform sat a small, three legged stool, with a ragged looking hat resting atop it.

"Now," Professor McGonagall said as she stopped them in front of the platform. "When I call your name, you will come forward and sit down," she motioned to the scroll in her hand, and the small stool. "I will place the sorting hat on your head, it will say which house you are to be in and you will sit down with them."

"Abbot, Hannah."

A small girl with blonde hair and pink cheeks stepped forward. She moved to the stool and pulled the hat on, with it slipping over her face.

Hotaru jumped when the hat screamed a moment later,

"HUFFLEPUFF!"

The little girl apparently was surprised as well, as she jumped about a foot in the air and ran off to the table with the yellow badges.(A/N: I am only going to do the important names from here on)

"Granger, Hermione"

A smug looking girl with extremely bushy hair walked up the hat, staring at it as though studying it. She put the hat on and it shouted,

"GRYFFINDOR!"

The girl got up with a smile on her face and ran off to the table with the red badges.

"Malfoy, Draco!"

The blonde boy sauntered up to the hat, and grabbed it off the stool. He sat down and Hotaru met the gaze of those grey orbs as he began to put the hat on. However, the hat screamed, "SLYTHERIN!" as soon as it had just barely touched the top of his head. He got back up and walked over to the table with the Green and Silver scarves with a smirk on his face and sat down amid the explosions of applause.

"Parkinson, Pansy!"

Pansy, walked… well, more like _strutted_ up to the stool, she did a little hair flip right before she pulled the hat on.

"SLYTHERIN!" The hat screamed, and Pansy ran off to the Slytherin table.

"Potter, Harry!"

A silence covered the great hall as he walked to the stool.

Hotaru looked up, and met his emerald green eyes before he looked away from her. He put the hat on and sat there for several minutes before it finally gave an answer.

"GRYFFINDOR!" The Gryffindor table exploded in cheers and he got up, grinning and ran to the table, sitting near the bushy haired girl.

"Riddle, Hotaru."

Hotaru's face heated up instantly, as she walked stiffly toward the hat. Silence ensued, but not like the one for Harry, Draco or Pansy. Everyone had apparently known who they were, but no one knew who Hotaru was. Suddenly there was an old sounding voice talking into her ear.

"Hmmm… I see plenty of cunning here… darkness, yes… much darkness. Oh, what's this…?"

_**Yes, it is true, she is who you think she isAnd I believe you know where she belongs.**_

"Yes, yes… Very interesting, I know where you go… SLYTHERIN!" the hat yelled out loud.

There was an awkward applause at first, but it grew steadily louder, until it was deafening. She got up off the stool and hurried to the Slytherin table and sat next to Pansy.

"Congratulations Hotaru!" Pansy said, her eyes shining.

"Thanks Pansy…" Hotaru managed to mumble out, her face bright red.

Next was the red headed boy who was standing with Harry.

"Weasley, Ronald."

The boy went to the hat cautiously and sat on the stool. He pulled the hat over his head and the hat screamed, "GRYFFINDOR!"

Ronald Weasley ran off to the Gryffindor table to sit with Harry.

Blaise was next, and he got into Slytherin too, as well as Malfoy's two lackeys.

Hotaru felt a strange coldness on her, as if someone was staring at her. She turned to find Draco Malfoy staring directly at her, not even caring that she had noticed.

There was a distant look in those cold grey eyes that she couldn't really place…

She was jerked from her thoughts as the Headmaster Dumbledore got up to speak.

"Now, for you first years, you must know that the forbidden forest is in fact, forbidden. And to all students, the corridor on the third floor is restricted to those who do not wish to die a most painful death." Hotaru looked over at Pansy wide eyed, while Pansy just shrugged.

Dumbledore said a few more things, but Hotaru zoned out for most of it, deep in thought about what was going to happen now that she was at Hogwarts, and how Sailor Saturn was planning on training her. The last thing she heard was, "…Lets eat." Before the plates, goblets, bowls and platters all filled with food.

Hotaru stared at it wide eyed, as she had never been allowed to eat enough to actually fill her stomach before.

Pansy gave her a strange look.

"What's wrong Hotaru?" She asked.

"Well, I have never seen so much food at once…" she replied quietly. "I used to live with muggles and they practically starved me most of the time."

Now it was Pansy's turn to be wide eyed. "Starved! No wonder you're so skinny!" Pansy exclaimed.

She promptly began to pile Hotaru's plate high with food.

Hotaru was about to protest when Sailor Saturn stopped her.

_**Hotaru, you must eat. You will need your strength for your training.**_

Hotaru resigned herself to eating as much as she could while occasionally getting that bone-chilling feeling that someone was watching her…

Hotaru turned and searched around after a minute to see who was looking at her. Finally, her violet eyes locked with emerald green ones. Harry. He was staring at her with slight anger in his eyes. The moment he realized that he was caught he turned abruptly and began chatting with his friends.

Hotaru cringed and quickly turned back around.

"Hotaru, what's wrong?" Pansy asked as she saw the expression on the other girls face.

Hotaru just looked down and began eating quietly.

Pansy looked around in the direction Hotaru had been and saw that bloody Potter who had just turned around again to stare at Hotaru. Pansy glared at Potter and put a protective arm around Hotaru as she turned back around.

After dinner, they followed the Slytherin prefect to the common room. He spoke the password (basilisk skin) and proceeded to show them around the common room, and told them where their dormitories were.

"You will find that your luggage and such have already arrived and are by your bed." The Prefect said, walking to the left staircase. Hotaru looked at him, surprised. She had completely forgotten about her bags even after she had gone through the trouble of pulling them out of her sub-space pocket. "Boys, your dormitories are up the stairs to your left; Girls, the same on your right. There will be two to a room…-"

The prefect continued talking but Hotaru was absorbed in the room around her. It had stone walls with silver and green decorations.

Green, velvet couches were situated around the fireplace and green, velvety over stuffed seats were scattered about the room, along with tables for studying.

Pansy nudged Hotaru in the side with her elbow.

"I bet those couches and tables are good for something other than studying… if you know what I mean." She said with a mischievous grin.

Hotaru went pale just thinking about it, as she and pansy walked up the stairs. Their dorm was conveniently the first door. She sighed as she found her luggage and fell back on her bed. She closed her eyes and lay in silence as Pansy went into the joint bathroom that they and the room beside them shared.

_**Well, well, well… Slytherin, eh?**_

_**You should know, you told the hat I was supposed to be here.**_

_**I couldn't make contact with you during the sorting… that must have been your mother.**_

Hotaru sat up straight._ "My mother?"_

She thought back, once again to that day at Gringotts bank. Her mother had looked so much like her… The same long black hair, the same voluptuous chest. And from what Sailor Saturn had told her, the same violet eyes… They were evidently the royal mark, though that piece of information had been lost on Earth.

_**Well, we are going to have to start your training soon enough, aren't we?**_

_I suppose… what kind of training is it going to be?_

_**You'll find out.**_

_For some reason I am kind of scared…_

_**Well, normally I should say not to be scared, but… maybe you should be.**_

_----------------_

The next day, Hotaru and Pansy made their way to transfiguration class. They got there a few minutes early and Pansy went to sit next to Draco. Hotaru followed and sat on the other side of her. Hotaru watched as she attempted to catch his attention with her hair flips and casual hints. For the most part, though, he seemed to blow her off and look the other way.

After a minute of this, Pansy was starting to look slightly annoyed. Hotaru, however, was watching intently, finding this rather entertaining. A tabby cat caught her eye. It was sitting still on the teachers desk just watching the students.

"Hey 'Taru."

Hotaru jumped as she spun around to see Blaise plopping himself down in the chair next to her.

Hotaru sent him a small, shy smile. "Hullo Blaise." She managed to murmur.

Blaise laughed and poked her cheek. "You look so cute when you're shy." he said grinning.

Hotaru's chest heated up, as her face flushed and she looked down at her lap. She had never felt this way around any guy. Although, the only guy she interacted with other than Dudley and his gang was Harry. She felt a pang in her heart as she thought of Harry. She shook the thought of him from her mind and focused on Blaise. However, she didn't know quite what to say, and her throat felt like it had swelled shut.

She was saved from answering, however, as Harry and his friend Ron, ran into the classroom as fast as they could. She could hear them congratulating each other on arriving before the teacher, despite being late to class.

Just then, a cat jumped off of the table in front of the class, and transfigured into Professor McGonagall. Hotaru watched as the professor chastised Harry and Ron for being late to class. Once they sat down, she began to teach the class on transfiguration.

_--------------_

_Merlin, Pansy is annoying_… Draco thought as he ignored her pathetic attempts at flirting with him.

He happened to glance over to see Blaise flirting shamelessly with that girl, Hotaru. He felt a slight tinge in his chest as he watched Blaise calling her cute and making her blush. Her skin was pale, almost like his, so when she blushed it really showed. Unfortunately, Pansy caught him watching them, and it seemed to fuel her effort of grabbing his attention, much to his annoyance. He shook his head and scowled.

_Oh well, who cares. _Draco thought moodily to himself. He was lost in his thoughts until a question from Professor McGonagall jerked him back to reality.

"Mr. Malfoy, what is a person who can change their appearance on demand?" she asked, sharply.

"A Metamorphmagus." He replied in a slightly bored voice.

"Very good, 10 points to Slytherin." She said, as she turned away and continued talking.

Draco just sighed and glanced around the room again. His eyes once again landed on Hotaru, who was still blushing. He looked forward at the wall in the front of the class and decided he should probably take some notes.

_-----------------------------_

AngelMeroko: Weeeell that is "chapter 8" finally done! I am really liking this story a lot better now that I am fixing it. If anyone has anything to say about it, review and I will either explain it or fix any problems you find

Draco: I just love how you act so sweet to the reviewers but then you are so… I don't even know the word.

Harry: Evil?

Draco: No, that is only to you. Hmm… Conniving.

AngelMeroko: Why thank you Draco, I am so glad you noticed.

Blaise: FINALLY MY SEXY SELF IS IN THE STORY!

Pansy: Blaise, how many times do I have to tell you… You were already in the … Oh forget it.

Hotaru: Please review everyone!


	9. Chapter 9

Class let out and the halls were filled with chattering students, talking about how their first class went. Draco, had stood up and walked out of the classroom as soon as the class had ended, leaving Pansy, Blaise and Hotaru to pack their things. Pansy watched, as he disappeared into the fray.

"Ooh…" Pansy moaned as she slouched back into her seat. "The whole class… the whole damn class I tried to talk to him, and he just ignored me." She grumbled, crossing her arms. "What in the name of Merlin do I have to do to get him to like me?" She sighed and hung her head, pouting.

Blaise put a hand on her shoulder and knelt beside her.

"Pansy…" he began with a sincere look in his eyes. "What I am about to tell you, I mean with all the caring, and friendliness in the world."

Pansy looked up at him. "What is it?" she asked.

"Well…" The sincere look in his eyes disappeared and the usual laughing sarcastic look reappeared. "I'm sorry Pans, but you don't have a snowballs chance during the summer in _Texas_ with Draco." He shrugged and stood up. "Well, better get to class then."

Pansy looked back down at the ground, her eyes watering up. "Gee, thanks Blaise…" she muttered, as she pushed past him and stormed from the classroom.

Blaise watched her leave and looked up, scratching the back of his neck. "Damn…" he said quietly. "Why does that always happen with her? She is too sensitive…" He looked over at Hotaru and shrugged. He walked to her and extended his arm. "Shall we get to class, milady?" He asked.

The regret was gone from his face and that mischievous grin, and twinkle in his eyes were back. That same grin that made her weak in the knees. She nodded and took his arm.

--------------------

They got to the Potions class room just before the Professor got there. They managed to get seated in the back just as he walked in the room. The class was in a dungeon-like room with several tall windows with open curtains.

As he walked in, he waved his wand and the curtains all closed, giving the room a much darker and mysterious feel.

"Put everything away except your potions books. There will be no foolish wand waving in this class…" he said, his voice barely sounding above a whisper, yet incredibly powerful sounding.

Hotaru put her wand into her bag and pulled out her book, _1001 magical herbs and fungi_.

"Now… I am Professor Snape, and this is where you will be learning the art of potion making. There is much skill and precision needed in potion making… and I will not permit any," he whipped around to find two Gryffindor girls giggling to each other about something. They stopped the moment he looked over at them. "Foolishness or distracting yourself or any others from the class… Five points from Gryffindor."

The two girls looked down and all of Gryffindor groaned, as the Slytherin students grinned to each other.

"Now," he turned back to the front of the classroom. "Turn to page 394."

Hotaru was reading in the book, and was shaken back to reality by Professor Snape's cold voice.

"Ten points from Gryffindor." He said, turning away from Harry who was looking confused and rather upset.

Hotaru was surprised to find herself smirking at this. She realized it and stopped at once. That was Harry Potter. Her life time friend, and the only one she had had for the first 11 years of her life.

But he was the one who suddenly wanted nothing to do with her, not the other way around.

* * *

It was a couple of days before Hotaru got her chance to try talking to Harry. He was rarely without his friend Ron and he seemed to dislike her about as much as Hagrid did.

"Harry?" Hotaru said softly. The halls were empty because classes had just started. They were both late.

"I don't have time Hotaru." Harry said, a bit pleadingly and annoyed at the same time. He refused to meet her eyes.

"Harry, what's wrong? Why won't you talk to me, and why won't you even look at me?" She cried desperately.

Harry finally looked into her eyes. Hotaru saw that they were full of pain.

"What's wrong Harry?" She asked, concerned for her friend.

"Hotaru, I don't think we can be friends." Harry said hesitantly.

It was like someone had shoved a knife deep into her stomach. "But, why not Harry?" She asked, her eyes filling with tears.

"I just… I can't explain Hotaru, I just need time to think." He said, desperately trying to move around her.

"No, Harry. Tell me." Hotaru said. She stood firmly in front of him. If someone was watching from behind a corner they probably would have found the sight of a 5'1" girl blocking a 5'9" boy rather humorous.

"Hotaru…" Harry said, his eyes pleading with her to just let him leave. "Fine." He said, realizing she wouldn't let him go without telling her. "Hotaru… Your dad killed my parents." He said looking away from her.

Hotaru's grip on his arm slackened as the shock of what he had said sunk in. Harry took this opportunity to slid out of her grasp.

"I really need time to think about it." Harry said softly as he walked away, leaving her standing in the hallway.

_Is it true?_

_**Is what true.**_ It was clear that Sailor Saturn was trying to avoid the subject. When she had first appeared, her voice held no emotion at all. She was blunt and didn't care if she hurt Hotaru's feelings. But now, she had grown fond of the girl and didn't necessarily want to give her more pain that she had to bear.

_What Harry said__…__ Is it true? Am I the daughter of the murderer that killed my best __friends__ parents?_

_**Yes.**_

That was all the answer that Hotaru needed. She was rooted to the spot, unable to move until she heard the tell-tale sound of Filch walking down the hall. She then scampered to her next class, accepting the 10 points taken from her.

That night Hotaru sat with Pansy on her bed. They told each other about themselves. However, there were a few things they kept. Pansy had somewhat of a dark life, and Hotaru couldn't very well tell Pansy about being the Princess of Saturn or about her mother in Gringotts could she?

Over the next few days they became best friends, along with Blaise. The more Hotaru talked to him, the more she liked him. She found that she was becoming weak in the knees whenever he smiled. Which was almost every time she was around him, due to the fact that he was usually smirking or smiling about something.

"Hey Hotaru." Blaise said, casually sliding into the chair beside her.

"Hey Blaise." Hotaru said quietly. It was lunch time in the Great Hall, and Hotaru still hadn't been able to eat very much after being starved for so long. Blaise glanced at her hardly touched plate of chicken and rolled his eyes.

"'Taru, you really need to start eating more. It has been 3 weeks, and you still hardly touch your food." Blaise said. He was really concerned for his friend. They had been hanging out a lot since the beginning of school, and were beginning to become quite close.

"I know Blaise…" Hotaru said, moving her plate away from her. "But it is just so hard… To go from eating practically nothing every day, to having a feast for every meal can be a real shock to the system." She patted her thin stomach and gave him an apologetic look.

Blaise felt a twinge in his chest. This had been happening more and more frequently since he had gotten to know her more. When he had first met her he thought that she was just another cute girl. Now she was getting to quickly be one of his best friends. She saw sides of him that no one else but Draco and Pansy had ever seen before… And that was only because they had grown up together.

"Well, just try, I guess." Blaise said, confused by the emotion he was feeling. He really needed to sort this out.

Hotaru watched as Blaise filled his plate, and began eating. She looked down at the table and then at the full plate of chicken Pansy had filled for her. Hotaru had never had chicken before she came to Hogwarts, but it had become her favorite food during the Feast after the Sorting Ceremony.

**----FLASHBACK----**

Hotaru stared in wonder as the table suddenly filled with food. There were all kinds of foods that she had only ever seen or heard of, but never eaten. Sometimes she would catch glimpses of the food commercials on the TV while the Dursleys were watching, but after the first couple times, she had tried desperately to block them out. Seeing and hearing about all of those wonderful foods was torture to her, when the Dursleys only allowed her small portions of food, sometimes not even every day. And always, it was something like old cheese and stale crackers.

She was so stunned that she realized she didn't even know what to grab. However, Pansy saw her confusion and filled the plate for her. It had some of everything: Chicken, brisket, steak, some crunchy crusted bread with butter, blood pudding and some other things that Hotaru wasn't quite sure what it was.

Out of everything, Hotaru had been delighted with the Chicken, though the steak and brisket had been a close second and third. She had detested the blood pudding and the bread had tasted amazing with the fresh butter.

Pansy had laughed at her when she first tasted the chicken and her face lit up, telling her that it was only chicken. Hotaru laughed along with her, and continued to eat the rest of her food… Or what she could fit in her stomach, which wasn't much.

**---- END FLASHBACK ----**

Hotaru looked back at her plate of chicken and pulled it toward her again. She picked up her fork and began to eat it. She didn't notice the smile on Blaise' face when she did. He was confused at what had brought this smile on, but he knew there was just something about Hotaru that made him want to protect her.

------

Back in the Slytherin Common room, Blaise sat in one of the velvet couches facing the fire. He had been deep in thought since he had sat there after dinner. He hardly even noticed Draco plopping down in the seat next to him (but of course, Malfoys _never_ 'plop', they 'sit gracefully'). Blaise' mind was filled with thoughts of Hotaru and Pansy. He had liked Pansy for years, since they were younger.

_Argh__, I am too young for this!_ He thought angrily at himself. He _was_ only eleven after all. He was still supposed to be thinking that girls were icky and that they had cooties. However, Blaise had always been mature beyond his years. Most of the Slytherins were, after what they went through for years before they started school. Of course, Draco had had it the worst out of all of them. The smartest of them knew that, and felt close to him because he knew what they had been through. Crabbe and Goyle, however, only hung on his every word because of Lucius' position with the Dark Lord.

Still, even being young, he had a dilemma on his hands. He couldn't very well go on liking both o them without it getting messy later on, even he knew that.

"Hullo Blaise." Draco murmured from beside him. Blaise jumped about 6 inches in the air at the sound of his friends voice.

Draco was mesmerized by the flames dancing in the fireplace. No one to tell them what to do, they just danced as they pleased. Sure, someone could come douse them, but for their time they could jump and dance as they wished. Draco wanted to be able to do with his life as he pleased, even if it would be short.

"Hey Draco." Blaise said, laughing nervously. "You scared me, man."

"What are you thinking about?" Draco asked, never taking his eyes from the fire.

"I think I like Hotaru." Blaise said simply. He had never really been able to keep secrets from Draco, and it was always nice to have someone to talk to about things that you knew would never be told to anyone else unless you wanted them to be.

Draco's eyes hardened for a split second, though Blaise did not notice. Draco wasn't quite sure why he felt jealousy. He had been feeling it quite a bit over the last few weeks when he would watch Pansy and Blaise with the Riddle girl. There was something about her… Something that wasn't right. Yet it was incredibly intriguing, and he was drawn to her.

Something about Blaise liking her just rubbed Draco the wrong way.

-------

Up in the dormitory, Hotaru had just sneezed 3 times in a row. "Excuse me!" Hotaru said, flustered and embarrassed.

"Oooooh, someone must be thinking or talking about you." Pansy crooned, giggling at her friend. "I wonder who it is." She said dreamily.

Hotaru just blushed and then play glared at her. "Why would anyone be talking about me?"

_Why would anyone like me?_ She thought miserably, remembering her talk with Harry, and what had been revealed to her.

Pansy stopped laughing at the suddenly pained expression on Hotaru's face. "What's wrong 'Taru?" She asked, a look of concern gracing her face.

"It's nothing." Hotaru said, quickly realizing that she was showing her emotions on her face.

"Hotaru," Pansy said seriously. "You have been this way since you were late to Charms class a few weeks ago. What happened?"

_I wish I could tell you._

**---- FLASHBACK ----**

Hotaru had wanted to tell Pansy all about her father, and her mother but Sailor Saturn had forbidden her.

_Why can't I tell her? _

_**We cannot risk anyone knowing yet. You are not yet trained, and we can't have your father knowing about you.**_

_Isn't he dead? Harry beat him._

_**He is weakened for now, but he is certainly not dead. Something ties him to this world.**_

_What does that have to do with Pansy?_

_**You know well that her parents serve Him. If she slips anything to them I don't know what will happen to you. **_

_Pansy wouldn't do that, she is my friend._

_**You have only known her for a week. Do not be so quick to judge.**_

Sailor Saturn had said it so harshly thatHotaru didn't know what else to say. It was as if she had enough personal experience to last Eternity.

**---- END FLASHBACK ----**

"It's really nothing Pansy, I just miss Harry." Hotaru wasn't being completely untruthful, she really did miss Harry… Though he didn't seem to be missing her very much. She knew that she could not tell anyone about her because the other Scouts were possibly in the school and as much as she didn't want to admit it, Pansy could be one of them.

"Ugh, that stupid Potter prat." She said disgustedly. "I'm sorry 'Taru, I just can't believe that you were friends with that boy." Pansy pulled a face to show her distaste for Harry.

Hotaru giggled. "Well Pansy, he was the only real company I had for 11 years."

"Poor girl." Pansy said sympathetically. She yawned and stretch her arm before she fell, back first onto her bed. "Man, I'm tired." She said yawning again.

Hotaru laughed at stared fondly at her friend. She was also rather tired and was ready to sleep. While at the Dursleys she had found it very hard to sleep at night, however there was something about this castle that made her sleep easily.

Hotaru climbed off of Pansy's bed and onto her own. They were both already dressed in their night gowns, so they both just got under the covers of their respective four-poster beds.

"Good night 'Taru."

"Night Pans."

**---- DREAM ----**

"Don't leave me!" A woman was crying.

_Who is that?_

Everything was dark, and it was raining.

"I must." A man was speaking. His voice was deep and soothing in a way, yes menacing at the same time.

"But why?" The woman screamed. There was a flash of lightning and the woman threw herself to the ground. She had long brown hair with slightly tanned skin. On her face was tears mingled with rain drops.

There was darkness once more.

Hotaru moved forward, and tried to comfort her, but he hands ran right through the woman's body right as there was another flash of lightning, once more illuminating the landscape.

The man was standing five feet away from the woman. His entire person was shrouded in shadows, even when the lightning flashed. The man raised his hand in the air, and the woman lept forward toward him, and incidentally through Hotaru who was right in front of her.

"NO!" She screamed, but when the next flash occurred, the man was gone, and the woman fell to the ground, and rolled onto her back.

Only then did Hotaru notice that the woman was pregnant.

**---- END DREAM ----**

It had been three weeks since Hotaru had had the dream, and she had long since forgotten about it. Classes had her time completely occupied when she wasn't with Pansy and Blaise. They had plenty of homework piled on them, and Halloween was in a few days. Hotaru had gotten to the point where she could finally eat a full plate of food without feeling sick, and Blaise and Pansy were ecstatic that their friend was finally eating.

Things were going well for Hotaru at Hogwarts. She was getting good grades in all of her classes, especially Potions, and she was quickly becoming the favorite of Professor Snape. The other class that was excelling in was Defense Against the Dark Arts. Although Professor Quirrell seemed petrified of his own subject, she was learning plenty from the class.

The only thing that was going very badly in her life was Harry. She still wasn't able to get him to talk to her. Every time she approached him, his friend Ron would step in between them, glare at her and pull Harry in the opposite direction.

Hotaru spent a lot of her time with Pansy and Blaise either in the Common Room or out by the lake. While Hotaru's social skills with people wasn't the best yet, she seemed to have a knack for socializing with some animals on the grounds.

Once, she had seen a green, gremlin like creature at the surface of the lake. She had stood and waved to it, and in return it looked at her, and bowed, then proceeded to sink back into the lake. This had surprised her, and she had asked Sailor Saturn what happened.

_**There are creatures that are loyal to Saturn. That creature, a **__**Grindylow**__**, was one of them. Be careful that you do not try that with every creature you meet as some are loyal to other planets. Because of this, some animals may try to attack you, or run away.**_

Hotaru stared in wonder at the lake and then decided that she was ready to go back to the Common Room. Pansy was probably looking for her by now.

-----------

Hotaru finally made it to the Slytherin Common Room, and whispered the password to the portrait and stepped in.

Pansy was not in the Common Room, but Hotaru spotted Blaise sitting a couch, studying for a Transfiguration test. She grinned naughtily and snuck up behind him. She waited a few seconds to compose herself and jumped over the back of the couch and landed lightly on the seat beside him. She grinned in satisfaction when Blaise fell completely off the couch, and looked around. When he noticed her, she started laughing and he laughed along with her. She put out a hand to her, and helped him up.

"Hey you," Blaise said, rubbing his backside. "Care to make your presence known is a… less 'surprising' way next time?" He complained playfully.

Hotaru grinned at him, and pushed him on the shoulder lightly. "You know I love surprising you Blaise."

Blaise laughed at her. She had changed so much since she first arrived at Hogwarts. When he first met her, she was so quiet he could hardly get her to speak at all, let alone joke with him. But now she was so open with him and Pansy. It was a bit surprising to him to see her around other people though. She wasn't nearly as open when outside the Common Room. She would revert back to a recluse and not talk to anyone but Pansy and Blaise.

He had caught Draco staring at Hotaru on occasion as well, and it annoyed him despite himself. Draco knew that Blaise liked Hotaru… In fact, his feelings for Hotaru were slowly beginning to surpass his feelings for Pansy, which shocked him. Blaise was worried that Draco had begun develop a crush on Hotaru, even though he didn't hang out with the three of them.

Blaise would have to remember to keep an eye on him.

"Pansy went out to look for you, said she was worried when you didn't come back after the class."

"Oh," Hotaru suddenly felt a little guilty about wandering off without telling Pansy where she was. "Maybe I should go find-" Hotaru was cut off by the portrait door swinging open and being forcefully slammed shut. "-her." Hotaru finished, wincing.

"Hotaru!" Pansy said, running toward her. "Where have you been, you said you were going to come back to the Common Room to study with me." Pansy asked, wagging her finger at her as though scolding her.

"Ah, I'm sorry Pans, I got distracted." Hotaru said, trying to suppress her grin.

In reality, Hotaru had seen Professor Quirrell wandering off to the corridor on the third floor. She was going to try to follow him, but Professor Snape came, and she didn't want to get in trouble. While she was walking toward the Common Room she had caught a look at the Lake. It looked so beautiful that she felt she should go down, and sit on the shore for a little while. She had completely forgotten about studying.

"Well, let's go then." Pansy said, exasperated with her friend. Hotaru and Pansy said their good byes to Blaise and headed to their dormitory.

After several hours of studying, they finally got ready for bed. Hotaru was exhausted and quite ready for some well deserved rest.

**---- DREAM ----**

"I love you." A woman with long brown hair was standing against a tree in the middle of what looked to be a forest. There was a man there as well, who was shrouded in shadows who replied, "I love you too."

"Never leave me." The woman whispered as the man came closer to her.

The man said nothing, but closed the distance between them with a kiss.

**---- END DREAM ----**

_**Hotaru**__**…**_

_**Hotaru?**_

_**HOTARU!**_

_Ugh… yes?_ Hotaru was awakened from her sleep rather rudely by Sailor Saturn yelling.

_**Finally you answer… **__**It is time to begin your training.**_

_Training?_Hotaru looked outside. It was still dark out._What time is it?_

**Three o'clock in the morning. Now hurry. ****Get up, and get dressed... oh, and leave your wand.**

_Three?!_

Hotaru begrudgingly got out of bed as quietly as she could, so as to not wake Pansy. She put her clothes on and silently left the dorm. She made her way down the stairs to the Common Room; however, she stopped abruptly when she saw someone on one of the couches. It was Draco. He was sitting on the couch in front of the fire, but he appeared to be asleep. His blonde hair seemed to almost glitter in the firelight.

Hotaru didn't know very much about him, except for what Blaise and Pansy told her. Pansy seemed to be convinced that she was in love with the boy, and Blaise spoke of him as one of his best friends. They had been through everything together.

_Kind of like me and Harry…_ Hotaru thought sadly.

_**Hurry Hotaru.**_

Hotaru shook the thoughts of Harry out of her mind for the hundredth time that week.

She stealthily moved toward the portrait hole and opened it. She silently slipped out, and closed it quietly behind her. Hotaru thought she might have bumped it a bit, but it wasn't likely that anyone would hear it so she shrugged it off.

----------------------

Unfortunately, despite Hotaru's attempts at being silent, when she shut the portrait hole, she accidentally woke Draco with the soft thump. He jumped to consciousness and wondered for a moment where he was before he remembered falling asleep in the Common Room.

_What was that?_ His thoughts were groggy and he had a slight headache. He sat up and looked around for the source of the noise that woke him. After a moment he decided that it had just been a figment of his imagination, and tried to get back to sleep, being too tired to walk to the dormitory.

-------------

Hotaru rushed through the halls she had grown used to. She, Pansy and Blaise had often snuck into the kitchens after hours, and wandered around exploring, so she knew her way around the castle pretty well by now. Finally, she reached the Entrance Hall, and crept out.

_**Where to now?**_

**The forest.**

…_**The **__**Forbidden**__** Forest, you mean?**_

**Yes, do you see any other forest's around here?**

Hotaru sighed and began walking quietly toward the forest, careful to avoid Hagrid's Hut. The man already hated her, she didn't need him to be the one to find her wandering into the Forbidden Forest at night.

-----------------

Draco lay down on the couch, with his arms folded behind his head, staring up at the ceiling. That damn new girl just wouldn't stay out of his mind! He had learned some things about her, such as, she was raised with Harry Bloody Potter by muggles. But she supposedly didn't know who her real parents were. She was best friends with Pansy and Blaise… just thinking of Blaise he scowled at the conversation he had had with him just a few hours ago….

**----FLASHBACK----**

"Hey Blaise," Draco said to his roommate as he walked in, plopping himself down on his bed. "What's up?" he asked.

"Not too much dude, not too much…" Blaise trailed off. He was laying on his four-poster, staring that the ceiling.

"I know what that means… what are you planning?" Draco said his eyes.

"Well, I dunno if I should, but I was thinking of maybe… maybe asking Hotaru to stay with me over Christmas break. Ya know, since she is just going to be staying here over the holidays." Blaise replied, looking over at Draco to see what he thought.

Draco felt a tinge of heat warm up his ears at the mention of Blaise inviting Hotaru to his mansion for the holidays as if they were together.

"I dunno, you don't really know her that well Blaise." Draco replied carefully.

"Hey, just because you don't know her that well doesn't mean I don't. I have actually spent a lot of time with her." Blaise said, raising an eyebrow.

"I thought you liked Pansy." Draco said, starting to feel slightly threatened, though he didn't know why, it wasn't like he liked her or anything.

"I do… I like both, is that a bad thing?" he asked, laughing at his friend.

**--------------------**

Draco sighed and stood up. Now that he thought if it, he had met her before either Pansy of Blaise did. Not that it mattered because he didn't really care about her… did he? Besides, Blaise was one of his best friends and no girl would come between them.

Not even a girl with long black hair, and deep, mysterious violet colored eyes…

_Draco, snap out of it!_

He shook his head, scolding himself for those thoughts. Fresh air. That's what he needed.

He walked to the window to look at the stars, because they always seemed to calm his nerves. He opened the window and inhaled deeply, closing his eyes as he enjoyed the feel of the cool night air on his skin.

He opened his eyes slightly and saw a swift movement on the grounds. He spotted it out of the corner of his eye and glanced down to see what it was. His eyes widened when he saw…

-----------------

Hotaru began moving swiftly, she was half way to the Forbidden Forest, and she was getting a little bit more scared the closer she got.

_You know, I think there is a REASON it is called 'The Forbidden Forest'…_

_**I realize that… but I have arranged everything for your training, **__**so there isn't anything to worry about**__**… well, not until we get there anyways.**_

_Wait, you DO realize that makes me worry more, right?_

Hotaru thought she heard a click coming from the castle. She turned back and didn't see the gate open, so she figured it was just a figment or her imagination.

-----------------

Upon realizing that it was Hotaru who was headed for the Forbidden Forest, Draco turned to the portrait hole and slipped out to follow her.

He made his way quickly toward the entrance hall, but was delayed, much to his annoyance. Professor McGonagall had decided to park herself in the Entrance Hall for a rest as she patrolled the school.

Draco leaned against the wall, muttering darkly about the 'old woman' of a professor and how the 'old bat' just needed to retire already. He figured he would just bide his time, and wait for the old woman to leave when he noticed that she began walking… Right toward him.

_Oh unicorn turds._

-----------------

Hotaru made it to the Forbidden Forest, and made her way through the twisted, gnarled trees for a ways, until Sailor Saturn told her to stop.

_**This is the place.**_

**What are we going to do-?**

Hotaru was cut off by a flash of red light hitting he tree beside her, creating a large burnt spot.

_**Hotaru, transform now!**_

_What the in the world?!_

Another beam of red light hit the tree, closer this time.

_**NOW!**_

"Saturn Planet Power!" Hotaru yelled her voice shaky. In a flash she was transformed into Sailor Saturn.

Hotaru spotted a hooded figure who had jumped from behind a tree. He pointed his wand at her just as she pointed her glaive at him. She felt strange being Sailor Saturn. She felt indestructible, powerful, and slightly maniacal even. Like all the power she possessed would drive her crazy with just the sheer measure of it. Just knowing that she had the power to destroy the entire planet made her hands tingle with energy as the adrenaline pumped through her.

It was almost like she knew everything going on around her.

What she didn't notice, however, was someone watching from a distance.

Hotaru swung her glaive in a circular motion around her head and called out, "Silence Glaive Surprise!"

Just as she said those words, what looked like black velvet strips shot out of the tip of her glaive and wrapped themselves around the opponent and seemed to be dematerializing him. The adrenaline from the attack just pumped her up, and made her want to do it again.

She lowered her glaive slightly into a more relaxed position and just as she did, another man jumped from the tree onto her back, knocking her to the ground. She screamed as she lost her grip on her glaive. His sheer weight was crushing down on her. It reminded her of Vernon Dursley and she let the rage that filled her body take over.

Even with her light weight, she managed to roll over to be on top of him. She kneed him in the groin and jumped off of him with the point of her glaive at his throat in seconds. She was breathing heavily and sighed. The anger had dissipated and she was hoping he was the last on account of her aching back. She was disappointed when she saw from the corner of her eye that one man was attempting to sneak behind a bush. She grabbed her glaive and got the sudden instinct to jump, so that is what she did… right on _top_ of the tree. Her eyes widened as she saw where she had jumped to and wondered how she had done it.

**After you have transformed you have heightened abilities, such as jumping 3 times as high as a normal human, and being able to fall from 5 times the normal height for a human, and land on your feet. ****Pretty much, you have cat like qualities. **

Hotaru looked down at the man who was glancing around, confused. She down from the tree and landed right behind him. She tapped him on the shoulder and he responded by turning with a swing of his arm and punched her square in the jaw. She fell backwards and he moved to pounce on top of her. She rolled to the side, got up and stepped back quickly. She looked around and jumped up, toward the nearest tree. When her feet connected with the trunk, she pushed off toward another tree, and another. The man was twirling around rather ungracefully, trying to keep track of where she was. After a minute he began to get dizzy.

Hotaru sensed this and knew it was time for the final attack. She jumped from the tree and once again landed behind the man. She tapped him again, anticipating the punch, in addition to the man being dizzy, she stepped back several steps as he turned to punch her.

She pointed her glaive straight at his chest and whispered, "Silence Laser."

A beam of purplish black light emitted from the blade of her glaive and the man blew apart. But there was no blood, only ash. Hotaru looked around at the ash questioningly when yet another man jumped from the shadows. He knocked her glaive from her hand and quickly got behind her, he wrapped his arms around hers and pushed her to the ground. He squeezed and she felt her shoulders popping as her arms were pulled together from behind.

At this point she was tiring out and was getting to be too weak for physical fighting. The position the man had her in was cutting off her air supply because of the tightness in her chest. She slowly felt her vision going black. The last thing she was aware of was her transforming back to normal, a heavy impact, then darkness.

-----------------

"Oh my God, oh my God, oh my God…" Blaise muttered, pacing.

He looked around and saw the gnarled trees and the evil looking bushes, hearing the howling of the werewolves. He looked down at Hotaru's still form, thinking about what he had just witnessed. He wouldn't have been down here at all if it hadn't been for Draco grumbling as he walked into the dorm about Hotaru and the Forbidden Forest.

**---- FLASHBACK ----**

Blaise was sleeping in his bed when Draco pushed the door open.

"Stupid Riddle… If she gets eaten in the Forbidden Forest then it's her own bloody problem…" he was grumbling under his breath.

Blaise's breath caught in his throat when he heard 'Hotaru' and the 'Forbidden Forest' in the same sentence. He knew what kinds of creatures were living in the Forbidden Forest and she wasn't exactly the strongest of girls.

He waited until Draco was safely asleep once again, and slipped from his warm bed to the cold, stone floor. He opened the door and crept out. He made his way to the portrait hole, and down to the Entrance Hall. The coast was clear, so he crept out and made his way to the Forbidden Forest. He wasn't sure exactly how far in she was, or even which area to enter at.

Once he got to the edge of the forest he saw a glimmer of red light, so he decided that was the best direction to go. He pulled out his wand and stepped cautiously through the tree roots and over grown vines.

As he grew closer, he saw a girl with a long staff. She was beating the hell out of a man in a black robe. He hid behind a tree nearby and watched as another man came literally out of nowhere. She jumped and disappeared from view, while Blaise and the man on the ground looked around stupidly. After a moment she came back down and he punched her. Blaise resisted the temptation to go help her. She seemed to be able to take care of herself. She looked strangely familiar… Blaise looked down at the ground.

When he looked back up, the girl was jumping from tree to tree trying to confuse the man, and once she had succeeded, she proceeded to point her staff, which looked just like a legendary glaive, at the man. A moment later a beam of light came out of it and the man was gone.

Blaise's eyes widened in shock and almost moved forward to find out who this girl was. But a moment later, another man materialized out of thin air and had her in a hold that she couldn't get out of. Blaise started to move forward, but froze when the uniform the girl was wearing changed and it was suddenly…

_Hotaru?!_

Blaise ran forward and slammed into the man on top of her. She seemed to have passed out, but the man was coming after him.

"Stupefy!" He yelled. The man turned to ash and Blaise turned toward Hotaru…

**---- END FLASHBACK ----**

He began thinking about what would have happened had he not come out and shuddered, opting not to think about it again. He sat down next to her still form wondering how they would get back into the school without being caught.

They had to get out of the forest he knew that of course… it was as if he could sense something coming toward them. What was strange was that when he knocked the man over, and Hotaru had been rendered unconscious… all of the men in the black hoods had disappeared like smoke. What was strange… this whole situation was strange!

Blaise looked down at Hotaru, who seemed to be sleeping peacefully.

"Who… _what_ are you?" he wondered aloud.

Just after he spoke, he jumped up as purple light emanated from Hotaru's body. What seemed to be a ghost that looked just like her, wearing the outfit he had previously seen her in appeared before him. Her eyes seemed somewhat… cold, emotionless, and heartless. They seemed to penetrate him to the core when he looked into them, and an involuntary shiver ran down his spine.

"Who- who are you?" Blaise asked, suddenly suspicious of this person, ghost, whatever you want to call it. She seemed familiar to him, and that alone inspired fear in him for some unknown reason.

"**I," **She spoke with such power that he felt he would shrivel up and die. His eyes widened and he shrunk slightly. **"****am**** Sailor Saturn, guardian of Saturn… And this," **she waved a hand to Hotaru, her eyes softening for a split-second. **"Is the rightful Princess and soon-to-be Queen of Saturn."** Her eyes emotionless once more, she locked eyes with his.

Another involuntary shiver when down his back but this time with true, honest-to-God fear. 'Sailor Saturn' he knew that name. It inspired fear among the dark side, which his parents were, or course a part of. He had been taught about her in something like a hushed reverence. Her power exceeded anything that anyone in the Wizarding world possessed. Although, no one knew how powerful she truly was, that much was known. Her image had been lost as well, though there was rumor that the previous Queen had been on the Earth within the last century.

In a delayed reaction Blaise fell to one knee in front of her and bowed his **head** reverently, the playful look was gone from his eyes.

"**Stand, foolish mortal."** She said in a low voice. **"I have appeared before you for two reasons. The first being that since you were **_**spying**_** on Hotaru," **Blaise flinched at the tone in which she said the word 'spying'. It made him wish he was dead. **"You now know her secret and you must swear to me that you will not breath****e**** it to a soul… including Hotaru herself until the time is right."**

Blaise nodded to her, unable to speak.

"**Speak Mortal, saying that you swear on your life that I may take it if you break this vow."**

"I swear." Blaise answered in as strong a voice as he dared.

"**Second, I require a favor of you."**

"Anything." Blaise said in an adoring voice.

"**I have noticed that you have befriended Hotaru… Protect her with your life. No matter what happens, she needs to live through school."**

'Who would hurt her?' Blaise silently wondered.

"**The other Warriors whose role in life is to protect this planet."**Sailor Saturn said as if she heard his thoughts and answered his question. **"They have gathered to Hogwarts, and they know she is here… However, they do not know who she is. Your job is to keep them from finding out ****who**** she is. Her survival is ****key**** for your planets survival."**

"With all due respect, why would they try to hurt her if she is important to the Earth's survival?" Blaise asked.

"**This is a reasonable question, so I shall answer it for you. They are afraid of her. Her power, as I am sure you know, ****exceeds anything on this planet, and when I manifest myself within her, it becomes even greater.**** In fact, the power to destroy this world ****lays**** at her fingertips. It is because of this that they wish her death. However…" **

Blaise looked up slightly, with a questioning gaze.

"**There are Warriors who would protect her if they were to choose. It is those that will be her allies in the final battle. The most likely would be Serenity, Princess of the Moon, or Sailor Moon."**

"Do you wish me to find them?" Blaise asked, bowing his head again.

"**No…** **They will find her. Of that I am certain."**

Blaise nodded and there was a moment of silence.

"**Much time has passed and the night is almost over." **Sailor Saturn said, gesturing to the sky. **"You should be getting back to your dorm… Pick Hotaru up and I will help you." **Sailor Saturn closed her eyes as she began glowing a dark purple, and slowly descended back to Hotaru's body.

"Thank you, milady." Blaise said, as he stood. Her lip twitched in what might have been a slight smile if you tilted your head and squinted really hard. Or maybe that was just Blaise's wishful thinking.

Blaise walked to Hotaru and bent down to scoop her into his arms. It seemed that no sooner than he had stood up, he was in the Common Room. He laid Hotaru on the couch and headed back to his dorm, thinking about what he had seen and heard.

-------------

The next morning, Hotaru couldn't remember what had happened. She asked Sailor Saturn who told her that she had done very well in her training the night before. Hotaru asked how she got to the Common Room since she didn't remember walking. She was told she was just too tired to remember the walk and that she had fallen asleep on the couch.

She went up to her dorm and changed from her soiled clothes to her school uniform, waking Pansy in the process.

"C'mon Pansy, we have to be in class in an hour!" Hotaru said, throwing a pillow at her best friend.

Pansy groaned and rolled over, grumbling about stupid classes and what they matter in later life anyway. Hotaru giggled at her and hopped down the stairs, pulling one of her shoes on. She finally got it on, and as she was stepping from the last stair, her foot slipped. She shrieked, and spun from the slip. She shut her eyes tight and braced herself for impact on the hard stone floor. However, she was surprised to fall into someone's arms instead of on the ground. She opened her eyes slowly and saw Blaise's blue eyes staring at her. He laughed and helped her to her feet as she smiled at him.

"Nice one, Princess." He said, his eyes twinkling.

Hotaru stopped smiling and looked at him, in shock. "What did you call me?" She asked, looking at him quizzically. She saw his smile falter for a moment then he smiled even bigger and answered, "What, I can't call you Princess?" He laughed, "I was only teasing you."

Blaise cursed himself for slipping up so soon after swearing to the Lady.

Hotaru nodded and laughed a bit but her mind lingered on how his eyes adopted a faraway, almost frightened look when she asked him about calling her Princess.

Those thoughts were shaken from her mind, however, as she heard a crash upstairs where Pansy had fallen out of bed.

"Smooth." Blaise said under his breath, as he smiled. Hotaru smiled with him and they went to sit on the couch while waiting for Pansy to get ready for school. Draco was on the other couch staring hard at Hotaru.

"So Riddle, where'd you go last night? The Forbidden Forest maybe?" Draco sneered.

Hotaru visibly stiffened then relaxed a moment later. "Actually Malfoy, I did. Did you want to go to?" she asked indifferently.

"I wouldn't be caught dead in that forest with you." Draco said, motioning to Crabbe and Goyle that they were leaving. Draco got up and his cronies followed him out of the portrait hole.

Hotaru stared at Draco as he stalked out of the Common Room and slammed the portrait shut behind him, shaking her head. Blaise stared at her for a moment, as if contemplating something in his mind. Hotaru looked over at him and raised an eyebrow.

"What is it Blaise?" She asked innocently. Blaise looked at the stair case to see if Pansy was coming yet. She wasn't.

"Well… Actually, I was wondering if… If maybe you…" Blaise stuttered a little bit, "If you would like to spend the Christmas Holiday with me at my family's Manor." He looked at her hopefully. "I mean it would be better than being here at the castle and being with the Muggles… at least, I hope so."

Hotaru was shocked for a moment but then she let out a smile so big that her eyes seemed to have to squint just to stay open. She hugged him round the neck and said, "Of _course_ I would like to spend Christmas with one of my best friends!" She said happily. Her smile faltered a bit. "But… what about Pansy?" She asked uncertainly.

"Oh, her family always comes to visit for Christmas, so don't worry about that." Blaise said, relieved that she had said yes. He had decided to ask her when he had gone back to his dorm last night. It would be much easier to keep her safe if she was with him.

"Alright!" She smiled happily as Pansy came down the stair, finally ready to go to class. Hotaru jumped up and ran over to tell her about Christmas and Blaise sat on the couch, smiling to himself.

-------------------

AngelMeroko: Wow! Okay, so I have finally re-written everything… It is kind of strange.

Blaise: I am just happy I am getting a bigger part finally.

Draco: When do I get to snog Hotaru?

Hotaru::blush:: Draco…

Blaise: Well, actually she seems to like ME in the story at the moment.

Pansy: Blaise! You said we had something special… ::runs away crying::

Blaise: Aw Swish and Flicker… :chases after Pansy::

Hotaru/Draco::snogging::

AngelMeroko: …Er. Right. Please review guys! I am going to try to finish this :D


	10. Chapter 10

Hotaru, Pansy and Blaise made it to the Great Hall half way through breakfast. They walked over to the Slytherin table, sat down and hurriedly began to fill their plates. Breakfast for Hotaru consisted of French toast with butter, powdered sugar and a light drizzling of syrup while Blaise and Pansy went full out on the pancakes and sausage. Out of habit, Hotaru glanced over at the Gryffindor table and spotted Harry as usual. This morning, however, he was facing her. Their eyes met and he nodded his head toward the door.

"Hey guys, I think I am going to step out for a minute." Hotaru said to Blaise and Pansy. She got up and hurried out of the Great Hall while their mouths were full and couldn't argue with her. She walked up a flight of stairs and around the corner and watched for Harry. After a few minutes he came walking toward her. Hotaru could feel her face heating up. She had wanted to talk to Harry for weeks now, but she had never gotten the chance. Now that he was actually willing to talk to her, he face felt hot and she felt slightly dizzy.

"Hey 'Taru." Harry said quietly when he finally made it up the stairs and rounded the corner. Their eyes met and the regret was as evident as it would have been had he fallen to his knees and begged her forgiveness.

"Hello Harry." Hotaru said quietly, not quite sure how she should act. This was the boy she had grown up with. He had been her only friend in that house full of pain and sadness, and yet here they were; Staring at each other in a nearly abandoned hallway in a school neither of them had ever even _dreamed_ they would be at. Of course, Hotaru had never thought that she would be the daughter of the man who killed Harry's parents either.

There was a moment of silence, as though neither of them were completely sure as to what they should say.

"Har-" Harry started.

"Hota-" Hotaru began at the same time as Harry. They both stopped abruptly, Hotaru blushed.

"Go ahead." They both said in unison, and then laughed a bit.

"Hotaru." Harry said seriously. "I just wanted to sa-" Harry was cut off by an angry Pansy storming toward him.

"What the _bloody_ Hell are you doing _Potter_?" She spat, jabbing him in the chest, pushing him back away from Hotaru. Harry was too surprised to respond right away, but was sputtering angrily only moments later.

"What do you mean, what am _I_ doing? I was talking to Hotaru." Harry scowled at Pansy, but immediately seemed to feel bad about being so rude.

"Pansy it's true, he was just-" Hotaru started, trying to explain to Pansy that Harry had wanted to tell her something.

"Hotaru, you don't have to defend this prat." Pansy said angrily, glaring daggers at Harry. "I know that it is _his_ fault you have been hurting."

Hotaru stared at Pansy with curiosity written on her face. "What makes you think that?" Hotaru asked.

"Oh Hotaru, I may not have known you for very long but I know when something is bothering you. I have seen you glancing at Potter with pain in your eyes." Pansy said, not taking her eyes from Harry. "I also saw you in the hall way a few weeks ago." Pansy admitted.

**---- FLASHBACK ----**

Pansy was searching for Hotaru. She wasn't in class and Professor Snape had given her leave to find her. She had left the Common Room before Pansy or Blaise had so Blaise didn't have any idea where she was either. Pansy knew that she probably came off as a babysitter for Hotaru to other people… But who cares what people think? Pansy didn't know why, but from the time she met Hotaru, she had felt drawn to her, and had felt the urge to protect her. There was just something about her that she couldn't place, but she could tell that Blaise could sense it too. When Pansy didn't know where Hotaru was, she felt a sense of panic, like she was in danger somehow.

Pansy was beginning to get frustrated when she turned a corner and she heard Hotaru's soft voice calling that stupid Potter.

"Harry!" She said, moving toward him. Pansy stepped quickly back around the corner. Neither Hotaru, nor Potter seemed to have noticed her. She felt disgusted that Hotaru could be friends with the prat. Hotaru had previously told Pansy that she didn't know Harry well enough to judge him, but Pansy figured that she could judge him by how he was treating Hotaru which wasn't good at all for him.

Pansy couldn't hear what they were saying any long, as they were speaking too quietly. However, she was peeking around the corner and she saw Hotaru take a step back as thought surprised. A moment later, Harry turned and walked away, muttering something. She just caught a glimpse of a tear falling down Hotaru's cheek.

Pansy was filled with anger. If there was one thing Slytherin's were, it was loyal to each other. May the Gods come down from Heaven and damn the world, the Slytherin's would still be loyal to each other. They had been through too much together not to be… Well, except Crabbe and Goyle. But then, some wondered if they were really human and not troll.

She felt the desire to run over to Hotaru and give her a big hug like a friend should, but something told her that she needed to keep her distance. She watched Hotaru turn and head toward Potions class… Which meant that she was heading her way. Pansy ran as quietly as she could back to the classroom, sensing that Hotaru needed some time to herself.

**---- END FLASHBACK ---- **

Harry looked embarrassed that she had been spying on them when he had been so heartless to Hotaru. He knew that she had done nothing wrong, and that the deeds of her father shouldn't be placed on her head. However, the thoughts had plagued his mind so much that he couldn't get them out of his head. When he looked at Hotaru, all he could think about was that her father was the one that killed his parents. It was because of her father that he'd had to live with the Dursleys. However, whenever he thought about it, he also always remembered what Hotaru had said on one of those lonely nights in the cupboard.

_I am glad that I was dumped on the doorstep… Because if I hadn't, I would never have met you Harry._

It had finally dawned on Harry a few days ago that he was being the worlds' biggest prat to Hotaru when she hadn't even done anything wrong. He hadn't had the courage to talk to her though, not after the way he treated her. Not until today; and he would not let Pansy Parkinson get in the way of his apologizing.

Hotaru wasn't quite sure what to say. She wasn't aware that Pansy had been present during her conversation with Harry. Though, thankfully she didn't hear the words exchanged between them. She didn't want Pansy to think differently of her, so she didn't tell her who her father was. She had, however, heard that many old, pureblood families into Dark Magic were servants of Voldemort. This made Sailor Saturn a little nervous (well, as nervous as Sailor Saturn gets, which isn't really much at all), and she had once again warned her not to let anything slip to Pansy.

Pansy stepped beside Hotaru and put a protective arm around her shoulders.

"Watch yourself Potter," Pansy hissed, as she led Hotaru away, leaving Harry glaring at Pansy's retreating back, hoping his look would actually do something. Hotaru glanced back and gave Harry a small smile, signifying that she had accepted his apology. This lifted his spirits a bit, but he still couldn't help but internally yell at himself for being such a jerk in the previous weeks.

He watched as Hotaru and Pansy turned into the Great Hall and knew that Ron was probably wondering where he was. Now he wasn't worried about Hotaru hating him, his mind reverted to something else. that had been occupying his mind which was the recent mystery of the break in at Gringotts.

**---- FLASHBACK ---- **

Harry was on his way to Hagrid's hut on the edge of the Hogwarts grounds with Ron. He had received an invitation from Hagrid on the first day of classes, and he was told that he could bring Ron if he wanted to. When they got to the hut, Harry knocked on the door, to which loud barking emitted from behind the door.

"Shut up Fang, yeh stupid dog." Harry heard Hagrid's muffled voice from behind the door. Finally, the door opened and Hagrid appeared, and held out a large arm, welcoming them inside. "Come on in Harry, Ron." He said, and closed the door behind them.

Once they were in and seated, Hagrid served them piping hot tea and something he called 'rock cakes.' Ron bit into one, and nearly broke his teeth, so they pretty much left them alone. Harry told Hagrid about how Professor Snape was singling him out and treating him like he was some arrogant, prideful celebrity, and taking points off of him for the stupidest reasons.

"Ah Harry, Professor Snape is jus' like tha'. Don' mind him none." Hagrid said, with a wave of his hand. "Besides, you haven' given him any reason ter hate yeh, have yeh?"

"Well, no… But-"

"Then pay 'im no mind." Hagrid turned to tend to Fang, his dog, and accidentally knocked a pile of papers to the floor. Harry told Hagrid not to worry about it and told him he would handle it, so he got to the floor and began picking the papers up.

Near the top of the pile was an article in the _Daily Prophet_, the wizarding newspaper. There was a picture of a Gringotts bank vault and Goblins all around inside, studying it. The article that went along with it was a detailed account of a break-in of Gringotts. Harry leaned over and nudged Ron, motioning to the article. Ron's eyes widened and Harry whispered in his ear

"That was the same day Hagrid and I was at Gringotts to get my money so I could buy my things for school," He said hurriedly. Ron turned his head to gape at Harry, and at that moment Hagrid turned around.

"Wha's wrong Ron?" Hagrid asked, as he took two steps to get to the table. Ron accidentally poured his tea down his shirt.

"Ah, we need to be going Hagrid, it was nice to see you again!" Harry said, as he and Ron left the hut.

---------------

AngelMeroko: I am so sorry it took so long for this chapter to come out. I credit it to my little sister who hit me in the stomach, thus causing my creative flow of thoughts to stop THUS creating a writer's block! In short, my little sister gave me writers block ::cries:: …AND she pulled my hair!

Blaise: Are you serious? Oh well, I don't care. I'm not in this chapter much.

AngelMeroko: But it slowed down the progress for the next chapter.

Blaise: …Doom. I think she should be sentenced to death by… ::points at Ron:: Weasley.

::Collective gasp::

Ron: Hey, what's that all about?

::Hotaru, Pansy and Draco discuss::

Hotaru: We, the council have decided that the reviewers should decide what happens to the perp.

AngelMeroko: Righto! Review and say what I should do to her! (she is the reason this chapter is short)


	11. Chapter 11

Hotaru and Pansy sat in their dormitory, on Pansy's bed. They had been talking about the things that had happened that day, especially with Harry. Hotaru was so happy that Harry didn't hate her, that she could barely convince herself that she hadn't imagined the whole encounter. However, the fact that Pansy had been there, and revealed that she had seen Hotaru and Harry's previous encounter made Hotaru realize that it did, indeed, happen.

"Hotaru, I am still sorry that I listened in." Pansy said for the fourteenth time that day. Hotaru smiled, once again at her friend.

"It's alright Pansy, you were just looking out for me. I appreciate it." Hotaru said truthfully. She rolled her eyes and laughed. She had been in a good mood all day since talking to Harry. Although Hotaru didn't like him very much at all, Hotaru was confident that she could keep her friendship with Harry… at least to some degree. She had hoped that their friendship wouldn't change at Hogwarts, but her hope seemed to be in vain. However, she had met some good friends at Hogwarts.

Hotaru looked over at Pansy once again, whose face still had a pink tinge to it.

"I can't wait to start the flying classes." Pansy said, changing the subject. "I love flying. I do it all the time at home."

"Flying classes?" Hotaru asked apprehensively.

"Yeah, we are going to begin flying classes on brooms sometime soon." Pansy said with a wave of her hand.

Hotaru had never actually believed that witches and wizards flew around on broomsticks. But then again, before this whole ordeal, she hadn't believed in witches and wizards themselves.

"Isn't that… Dangerous?" Hotaru squeaked. She had a mild fear of heights. Although, she had noticed that when she transformed into Sailor Saturn; that fear vanished. But she couldn't very well go to flying lessons as Sailor Saturn.

"Oh of course it is." Pansy said, her face lighting up. "Just you and the broom, up in the air, nothing keeping you from just falling off and hitting the ground," Pansy got up and then jumped back on the bed and landed on her stomach, "SPLAT!" Pansy dissolved into giggles while Hotaru's face went a shade whiter than normal.

Once Pansy came out of her giggle fit, she noticed Hotaru's face and laughed again.

"Don't worry Hotaru, we won't be able to get up very high. We are only 1st years, silly." Hotaru let out a sigh of relief as Pansy poked her nose and shook her head. "We need to be going to sleep," Pansy said, casting a spell to tell them the time. 11:38.

Pansy groaned, and mumbled something about not being able to get up in the morning, while Hotaru shrugged and got into her bed. She tunneled under her blanket and stayed there for a few seconds before deciding it was too hot. She then scrambled back out of the blanket, somehow managing to trap her foot in the twisted blanket. She kicked her foot, trying to get herself freed when she felt herself falling. A moment later, she was on the cold floor with a sore bum.

"Oww…" Hotaru groaned. She looked up, and caught Pansy staring at her with a raised eyebrow.

"Having some trouble?" Pansy asked, clearly amused.

"N-no." Hotaru said indignantly. She pulled off the blanket and lay down on her bed. Pansy just shook her head and pulled her blanket up to her chin.

"Night 'Taru." Pansy said sleepily as she rolled on her side, curling up in her blanket.

"Good night." Hotaru said in a soft voice. She lay awake in bed for a while longer. She couldn't stop thinking of what Sailor Saturn had said about Sailor Scouts out to kill her within Hogwarts. She really wanted to find out who they were… Maybe she could get them to change their minds. She wasn't a bad person… At least, she didn't think she was. Then again, because she was sorted into Slytherin, she seemed to be the spawn of Satan to the students of other houses.

**-- FLASHBACK --**

Hotaru was walking down the hall, heading to her next class (Charms). She was going to meet Pansy and Blaise there, because she'd had some extra homework to finish up in the Common Room and she wouldn't let them wait and be late to class because of her. As she was walking down the hall, she came across two 4th year Gryffindor boys. She walked past them as if she didn't even see them, but one grabbed her arm.

"Hey Riddle," one of them sneered. "Where's your little posse?"

Hotaru just stood there, shaking a little bit. "Posse?"

The two boys snickered, "I reckon the poor little snake is all alone, don't you Chris?" The other Gryffindor boy said to the first. Both were rather large in height, and rather muscular. The one who had grabbed her arm, Chris, looked into Hotaru's eyes which had turned a piercing shade of violet with fear.

"Oi, Doug, look at this one's eyes." Chris said, point at Hotaru with his other hand. Doug looked at her face and right away she shrank away.

"She's a freak… Slytherin's in general are freaks but you… Y-you're a-a-" Doug and Chris both froze. After a second, Chris let go of Hotaru's arm and they both turned and ran, leaving a very confused Hotaru standing in the hallway.

**-- END FLASHBACK --**

What Hotaru didn't know, was that for a split second Sailor Saturn had looked through her eyes and scared the two Gryffindors senseless.

Sailor Saturn was… a bit on the paranoid side that someone would discover Hotaru. She was just a bit too naïve from her life in the Dursley house. Sailor Saturn thought in silence until Hoaru had just barely fallen asleep.

_**Hotaru, wake up.**_

_Whaaat?_

_**It is time for more training.**_

_You mean time for me to get beaten up again?_

_**Training will be different this night. Now hurry.**_

Hotaru grumbled a bit before rolling out her bed. She pulled her clothes on and quietly slipped through the dorm room door, and down the steps to the Common Room. Her eyes lingered on the couch as she imagined just going over there and laying on one of them. Her mind was tired, but thanks to Sailor Saturn's energy, her body was wide awake and alert. Every creak made her arm twitch, as though itching to attack. She made her way across the cold stone floor and out the portrait hole.

Once in the hall, she pulled out her wand and whispered, "Lumos." Immediately she was able to see about 5 _**– **_7 feet in front of her. She was almost to the Entrance Hall when she spotted Severus Snape doing his rounds. She quickly whispered, "Nox," and hid behind a statue. She held her breath and hoped that he had not seen the light from her wand. After what seemed like forever, she heard Professor Snape's footsteps getting farther and farther away. She exhaled slowly and moved from behind the statue. She hesitantly lit her wand once more and hurried to the Entrance Hall. However, when she tried to open the door, she found that it was locked.

Hotaru bit her lip and left the Entrance Hall in search of a nearby window. She finally found an open classroom on the second floor and looked out of it. It must have been 30 feet to the ground. She made sure the door was closed before she pulled out her necklace from which hung her transformation wand. She clutched it in her hand and bit her lip.

"Saturn Planet Power!" She whispered, as the violet light engulfed her. Within seconds she had turned into Sailor Saturn. She looked out the window once more, opened it, and jumped out. When she finally hit the ground, she landed on her feet. Hotaru immediately undid the transformation, just in case she was seen. She began to head out toward the Forbidden Forest, when Sailor Saturn stopped her.

_**Not tonight, Hotaru.**_

_Well then where are we going?_

_**The lake.**_

Hotaru raised an eyebrow, but headed for the lake anyways. Once she got there, Sailor Saturn told her what words to say in the Saturnian language.

"Leck mah tohm mendei shezaraha." She said in a voice barely above a whisper. Nothing happened, and Hotaru looked around in confusion. Just when she was about to ask Sailor Saturn what was supposed to happen next, something pushed through the surface of the water. Hotaru jumped back a bit, but realized that it was a hand.

Within seconds, there was the upper body of a man. He was very ugly, with sea weed green hair, and a slightly scrunched up face. What really caught Hotaru's attention was the fact that his eyes were pure black, and he had no eyelid's that she could see. His skin had a greenish tint to it, as well as his fingernails, and he carried a large, grimy staff that looked like it had algae on it. He raised a hand to Hotaru, and she did the same. He motioned for her to enter the lake.

_**Do not worry Hotaru, Merpeople are of Saturn.**_

Hotaru nodded her head slightly and moved forward toward the Merman. She pulled out her transformation wand and said, "Saturn Planet Power!" She transformed and looked at the Merman who looked as though he had just witnessed a miracle. She had entered the water, and he handed her a wad of what looked like underwater roots. She took it in her hand gingerly, and stared at him questioningly. He motioned her to put it in her mouth.

_He has got to be joking._

_**Fear not Hotaru; that is Gillyweed. It will temporarily give you the ability to breathe under water.**_

Hotaru bit her lip and dematerialized her glaive to help her swim better. After a moment's hesitation, opened her mouth, and put the Gillyweed inside. When she began to chew, she realized that this stuff was not only disgusting, but it had the consistency of rubber, making it hard to chew. Once she had finally been able to swallow it, she felt her hands and feet become webbed. Her skin seemed to also take on the greenish tinge that the Merman had, and then she felt an invisible pillow push over he mouth and nose. Slits appeared on the sides of her neck. Her lungs sent an emergency signal to her brain, and instinct took over. She plunged into the water and began to gulp down water. It passed easily through her gills and she found that her hands and feet helped immensely when it came to swimming. She had never taken swimming lessons, but she felt at ease in the water. She felt movement beside her and saw that the Merman was no longer at the surface of the water, but right next to her, staring at her adoringly.

"Princess, we have long awaited your arrival." The Merman said in a gravelly voice. His upper body bowed while his lower body flapped away to keep him steady. Now that Hotaru was actually in the water, she could see that he had no legs. Instead, his whole bottom half was scaly and ended in one fin. Along the edges of the bottom of the fin were little barbs for defense.

"I am pleased to make your acquaintance." Hotaru said, a bit nervously. "Please, rise and call me Hotaru."

"I am honored." Said the Merman as he rose. "Please allow me to address you with honor, as you are most eminent with our people, O Princess of the noble house of Saturn." His eyes gleamed, and he looked at her as though she were the most important person in the world. It was slightly unnerving to her.

"Thank you very much." Hotaru said politely.

"It is time to go, Princess." The Merman said, bowing once more. "I was given the task of guiding you to our colony." The Merman quickly turned and began swimming down toward the bottom of the lake. He turned and slowed every once in a while to make sure that Hotaru was still there. When they were about half way to the bottom of the lake, Hotaru felt something touch her leg. She shook it of and kept going. Something large was behind her, and she could feel it.

She turned and found that she was face to face with the Giant Squid.

Hotaru's eyes widened as the Squid sent one, large tentacle after her. She found that she was quite agile in the water when she was able to dodge the oncoming tentacle. However, just as she dodged that one, another came out and hit her across the face as it whizzed by her. Her body went into a brief state of shock until Sailor Saturn snapped her out of it.

_**Hotaru, pay attention, it's coming back!**_

Hotaru shook her head and blinked a few times, although more from habit than anything else, as the Gillyweed ridded her body of the need. She tried to focus on materializing her glaive, but for some reason it wouldn't come. At this point, the Merman had noticed that Hotaru was no longer behind him.

Hotaru concentrated and tried to speak to the squid the same way she had the Grindylow.

_**Hotaru, it is of no use! This creature is of Neptune, one of the outer planets that wishes for your demise.**_

Hotaru began to panic. She was dodging tentacles left and right, trying to escape. She sensed the Merman trying to come to her aid, but being stopped by the squid's massive tentacles. She pulled out her wizarding wand and yelled, "Incendio!" at the large amphibious beast. However, as she was under water, all that came out was a big bubble from her mouth. Luckily, the spell still worked enough to get the job done, even though it may not have seemed smart to cast a fire spell underwater. Angry red bubbles shot forth from her wand and hit one of the tentacles of the squid, leaving large red welt like patches along its rubbery flesh. At the same time, the Merman managed to stab another tentacle with his staff, which apparently had a hidden blade mechanism. The squid let out an extremely high pitched squeal and retracted its tentacles as they writhed wildly in circles around themselves.

Hotaru was in a slight daze, but managed to fall out of her stupor long enough to realize that the squid had squirted its black ink and retreated away, hiding in its inky mess as it swam away. The Merman swam quickly to her and bowed once more.

"You're Highness," he said as he looked up at her. "You have done very well in this portion of the training."

Hotaru cocked an eyebrow and frowned a bit.

_That was a part of my training?_

_**Yes, I wanted to see how you handled yourself under the pressure of a surprise attack. You managed quiet well.**_

Hotaru almost blushed at the compliment from Sailor Saturn.

_Is that why my glaive wouldn't appear?_

_**Yes, you must be able to fight with both Wizardry and Saturnian magic.**_

Hotaru thought on this for a moment, until she realized that the Merman was bowing to her again and she motioned embarrassedly for the Merman to stop.

"What is your name?" She mouthed to him quizzically.

"My name is Raspian." He replied in that gravelly voice, almost sounding as though he did not believe himself worthy to be actually introducing himself to her by name. Hotaru smiled as Raspian quickly looked down.

"We must continue; our time grows short." Raspian said hurriedly as he began to swim, once more, downward. Hotaru shrugged and followed for another few minutes. It seemed like much longer than it really was, but when she reached the Mercity, it seemed like the most amazing thing she had ever witnessed. Never in her life had she expected, or even fathomed to see a colony of sentient beings living beneath the waters surface.

Raspian led Hotaru towards the center of the colony. At first, it seemed like an abandoned village. However, after a few moments, ghostly green hair could be seen peeking out from inside and around little buildings. Once Hotaru had reached what seemed to be the 'town square', she noticed the looks of awe on the faces of many of the older looking Merpeople, much like the look Raspian had had when he first saw her.

Hotaru landed on both webbed feet as she softly touched ground in the middle of the town square. After a moment, a particularly old looking Merman made his way toward her, through the path the gathering crowd seemed to be making for him. He finally reached her and seemed to want to reach out to touch her, but thought better of it.

He turned instead, to the Merpeople and announced, "Our Princess, has returned." At once, the whispers shot through the crowd like a tidal wave. Hotaru felt a little more than a bit nervous. She really didn't know what was going on.

_**That is Schernius, the ruler of this colony of MerpeopleSailor Saturn explained to Hotaru. You're mother sought him out just after you were born to inform him of the situation you were both in. This is the main reason why Merpeople will not stand by Voldemort… They know what happened to your mother. Merpeople have a very strong connection with the power of the Saturnian royal family.**_

_Is that why I have been feeling a pull toward the lake lately?_

_**It is a very likely reason. However, be careful around water. As you saw earlier, there are creatures in it that would love to destroy you. Neptune has the most power over the waters and the creatures within, except for a select few which have loyalties to different Planets for some reason or another.**_

_What is the connection between the Merpeople and Saturn?_

_**Hundreds of years ago, one of your ancestors came to Earth, seeking help**__**.**__** His name has been lost through the ages. Unfortunately, he was not accepted well. Only females in the Saturnian line are capable of being my host body. The males of the Royalty have some powers, but not the same kind, though powerful in their own way. Your ancestor needed allies on this planet until he was able to leave as he had been wounded with only a few of his abilities in tact. He found the… 'pre-evolved state' if you will, of the Mermaids. They were nothing but fish, dumb and essentially useless.**_

_**With some of the last of his energy, he gave them sentience and a better, more agile body. Over a rather short amount of time they became practically super geniuses, and began to build their own cities underwater. After your ancestor was able to leave, the Merpeople began to advance to the point of being able to create their own weapons. However, they only used them for defense as they were told by their maker that they were to be passive unless threatened.**_

_**They called their main city Atlantis and were very advanced in many things that humans did not even know about. After a while, the other Planets became angry and jealous of the Merpeople, and angry at your ancestor for giving them sentience. They all banded together to destroy Atlantis and they were forced into submission. To this day they are a very proud species that loves to talk about the fact that Saturnian royalty gave them their essence. Since then, they have awaited the arrival of another of the Saturnian lineage to serve.**_

Hotaru thought in wonder and then began to focus on what was going on around her. She spent a little while being formally introduced to Schernius. After a little while, however, she felt the urge to return to the surface. The hour had almost passed and she would be in dire need of oxygen soon.

"Lady of Saturn, please take this as a token of our loyalty. It was given to us when our Lord of Saturn gave us our sentience. It has been passed down since then, meant to be returned to the holy house of Saturn." Schernius said in his gravelly voice. He reached toward Hotaru and handed her a small ring. In the small ring was Neelam, or The Blue Sapphire, the stone of Saturn. Hotaru took it, and stared for a momoent before slipping it on.

"Thank you very much for your hospitality," Hotaru said, motioning to the small ring that she now wore on her pinky. She did not know what it did, and surprisingly, neither did Sailor Saturn. Both assumed that it had sentimental value, though Sailor Saturn did feel the power of Saturn faintly emanating from it. Hotaru was escorted back to the surface of the water by Raspian. He bid her farewell just before she left the water. She turned back once she had reached the surface and only saw a flash of fin and a splash before silence enveloped the area. The only noise that could be heard was the almost non-existent wind blowing through the tree's.

Hotaru made her way swiftly back to the castle, careful to avoid Professor Snape. Once she reached the portrait hole and climbed through, she went to hers and Pansy's joint dorm room and slipped into bed. She welcomed the feel of the soft mattress and quickly drifted off to sleep.

_**--**_

_**AngelMeroko: Mua haha. There you go, the 11th chapter. I hope you liked it :D**_

_**Harry: Geez, I am so bored… this whole thing is just Hotaru, Hotaru, Hotaru. When do I become important again?**_

_**AngelMeroko: Shut up Harry.**_

_**Hotaru: Yeah, at least you didn't have to fight off that darned beast of a squid.**_

_**AngelMeroko: Thank you to all of my reviewers! I love you all, you rock my socks. One thing I want to say, is that when you review please make sure you say something that I can respond to. I love replying to reviews, but if there isn't really anything to reply to… Let's just say, it is sad.**_

_**Blaise: Yes, now do I come in the next chapter?**_

_**AngelMeroko: You will just have to wait and see! Please review!!**_


	12. Chapter 12

A/N: Thank you for the reviews :D

skywiseskychan: Thank you so much for spotting that! I am going to fix it right now. :D Also, the reason she didn't use the glaive or any attacks she has as a sailor scout is because it was a test to make her use her wizardry magic. I will fix that part to make is more understandable :) Thanks for the review!

By the way guys, this story is going to be going through all 7 years at Hogwarts. That means I will be be kinda speeding through the first couple to get to the better years. The last 3 or 4. I will try not to leave anythign major out though. My main focus of the story doesn't really happen much til 3rd year or so. But I felt that I needed to introduce Hotaru going into Hogwarts in her first year. The Sailor Scouts will be coming in soon, no worries. :)

-------------------------

"Hotaru, it's time to get up!" Pansy said, jumping on Hotaru's bed eagerly.

Hotaru just pulled the blanket up and over her head before letting out a loud groan. She wished she could tell her best friend about her late night/early morning training sessions, but knew that she couldn't. Especially knowing that most Pureblood families served the Dark Lord.

_AKA: Dad._ Hotaru thought to herself, annoyed. Why did he have to be her father? If he wasn't her father, Harry would never have acted the way he had. But then... She also may never have met Harry at all.

Hotaru decided to forgive Voldemort for being her father. She slowly pulled the blanket off of her face and sat up. She shook her head and rubbed her eyes trying to rid herself of the troublesome sleep that made her want to simply fall back down on her bed and sleep for the rest of the day.

Pansy was already up, dressed and waiting for Hotaru to get up so they could go down to the Common Room.

"Pansy, you know that you don't have to wait for me, right?" Hotaru said, still slightly grumpy from lack of sleep.

"Oh, I know." Pansy said nonchalantly, "But is it so horrible that I want to wait for my bestest friend in the whole wide world?" She batted her eyelashes in a very girly way, making Hotaru laugh.

"Okay, okay, I'm hurrying." Hotaru said, rolling her eyes. She quickly changed into a clean set of robes and moved to meet an impatient Pansy at the door. They made their way downstairs, practically falling over each other. When they got downstairs, Malfoy and Blaise were waiting for them. Correction; Blaise was waiting for them. Malfoy was waiting for Blaise.

"Hey, it's about time you two got down here." Blaise said jokingly as he lightly punched Hotaru in the shoulder. "We need to hurry or we'll be late for breakfast." Blaise extended both arms out to Hotaru and Pansy. "Shall we?"

Pansy took Blaise's arm and rolled her eyes, while Hotaru blushed - even though she was getting used to this treatment - and took his arm as well. Draco followed behind, ever so silent in Hotaru's presence and they walked out the portrait hole toward breakfast.

------------------------------

"I wonder where Hotaru is... She is going to miss breakfast." Harry grumbled. He was feeling very protective of Hotaru again since their recent reconciliation. Wait, _was_ it a reconciliation? Not officially. But Harry knew Hotaru's body language better than anyone else, and it told him that he was forgiven. For the fifth time since he had spoken to her, Harry breathed out a happy sigh.

"What's going on mate?" Ron asked, confused. "You sure have been happy since yesterday. What happened anyway?" Ron stuffed a large drumstick in his mouth as he stared intently at Harry.

"I..." Harry wasn't sure what Ron would think of him being on speaking terms with Hotaru - not to mention, a _Slytherin_. "Well, I finally made up with Hotaru." Harry said quickly, reaching for some eggs and bacon.

"'Ou 'ade up wi' '_er_?" Ron asked incredulously through a mouth full of food. He quickly chewed and swallowed and then continued. "She is a Slytherin Harry. Not just a Slytherin, she hangs out with _Malfoy's_ little groupies." Ron said with utter disgust.

"I don't care who she hangs out with Ron. She is still Hotaru, and I can't punish her for someone else's actions." Harry said distractedly as he looked for her in the crowd of people coming into the Great Hall.

"Who's actions?" Ron asked, as intrigued as Ron ever is when there is food around.

"Nothing, don't worry about it." Harry said quickly. He didn't want the truth of Hotaru's lineage getting out. As much as it disturbed him, he didn't want to give anyone else a reason to hate her. Ron just hated her because Harry did. Though Harry didn't really hate her, he was just in shock of who her father was. Harry let out a sigh and ate a piece of bacon. He knew that out of the two of them, he had always been the better fed one. Hotaru'd been practically starved her whole life. A weaker person would possibly have gone crazy in her situation, though Harry liked to think that his presence had had something to do with her in tact sanity.

--------------------------------

Hotaru walked into the Great Hall and immediately scanned the Gryffindor table for Harry. She had hoped that things would be back to normal between the two of them now. After a few seconds she met his emerald eyes. They both smiled at each other and then looked away. This was enough for them, because they both knew what the other was thinking. Everything was fine between them now.

Hotaru followed her friends, which unfortunately included Draco Malfoy, to the Slytherin table. She sat in between Blaise and Pansy, as usual. She grabbed a couple pieces of bacon and a small spoon full of scrambled eggs. Blaise gave her a stern look, so she grabbed a few extra pieces of bacon.

"Happy?" She asked, showing him the plate.

"Extremely." Blaise said giving her a toothy grin.

Hotaru smiled back at him, even blushed a bit. A few feet away, Malfoy was talking to a third year girl with long blonde hair in a strange hair style like meatballs and spaghetti. In fact, Malfoy was calling her 'Meatballs'. Couldn't he be nice to _anyone_?

Professor Quirrell walked past her on his way to the front of the Great Hall to sit with the teachers. Hotaru kept her head down as he passed. She had a bad feeling about Quirrell. She picked a piece of bacon up and began to eat. As she chewed, her mind grew fuzzy. Maybe it was the lack of sleep, but Hotaru felt a sudden wave of dizziness. She shook her head, trying to rid herself of the troublesome feeling and continued eating. A few moments later, her head began to nod up and down. The room began to spin and voices - at first calm, and then somewhat scared - slurred together.

"Hota-..."

"-aru, are you..."

"-are you ok?"

Hotaru heard a few voices from around her, but she couldn't quite bring herself to focus on them completely. She closed her eyes, but when she tried to open them, they seemed to be sealed shut.

_**Hotaru, you need to be careful.**_

_Sailor Saturn? What's going on?_

_**There seems to be some kind of evil force nearby. This has happened only a handful of times, but I feel as though something bad is happening.**_

_Does it have anything to do with the other Scouts?_

_**No, I don't believe so. It must be something else... **_

A few moments of silence when by.

_Sailor Saturn?_

_**Yes, I'm sorry. I am trying to figure out what could be going on. Don't worry about it for now Hotaru. It is time for you to wake up. Whatever it was has passed...**_

Hotaru slowly opened her eyes. She blinked a few times as she adjusted to the bright light of the infirmary.

"Hotaru, you're awake." Hotaru heard Blaise's voice beside her. She could practically hear the grin playing on his lips as he spoke.

"B-Blaise?" Hotaru stuttered. "What happened?"

"I don't know. You were eating a piece of bacon when you just passed out. You looked confused at first, and then you just fell." Blaise said with an apologetic tone. "Sorry I didn't catch you." He said, squeezing her hand. She hadn't even noticed that he was holding it. Just then she felt a throbbing on the left side of her face. Of course, she _would_ have hit something.

Hotaru let her head flop to the side opposite Blaise. She saw a flash of blonde that disappeared so quickly she wasn't sure she had even seen it. She looked over at Blaise and was about to ask him if he had seen it before interrupted her with an answer.

"Pansy was detained by a Professor, so Draco came along. He waited here with me until you woke up. I don't think he wanted you to know that he was here, that stupid prat." Blaise said with a chuckle. "He isn't too cold hearted. A bit stubborn, prideful, egocentric... Maybe cowardly, but not cold hearted."

Hotaru allowed herself a small smile. It was nice to know that Malfoy didn't hate her. She wasn't quite sure what to make of him though. He certainly wasn't a friend, but he wasn't an enemy. He was just... There.

That was good enough for her.

"So what happened to Pansy that made her need to be detained by a Professor?" Hotaru asked, puzzled. Blaise laughed and rolled his eyes.

"It was pretty ridiculous."

-------------------------

"Hotaru! Are you alright?" Pansy cried as Hotaru walked into the Common Room. She ran forward to hug her friend looking relieved, angry and happy all at the same time. Hotaru blinked a couple times before hugging her back. She smiled at Pansy's reaction to seeing her. Hotaru wasn't completely sure why Pansy had taken to her so quickly, nor did she understand the intense protective streak toward her. However, Hotaru found that she really didn't mind. She had never had anyone to be protective of her besides Harry. She found it rather nice.

"I'm fine Pansy," Hotaru murmured. She pulled back and gave Pansy a questioning look. "So what did you do to be detained by a professor?"

Pansy rolled her eyes. "Look, before you get mad at me, just know that it was not _all_ my fault!" She said indignantly. "I know Potter is your friend again and all, but that doesn't mean I like him, trust him, or want him around."

"Oh Pansy, what did you do to him?" Hotaru asked shaking her head.

"She clocked the prat right in the nose." Blaise said, a sadistic grin playing on his lips. Pansy glared daggers at him until he turned back to the fire, his shoulders tensed as he cringed.

"Pansy!" Hotaru cried in annoyance.

"'Taru, I _know_! I'm sorry, okay? He just came over and grabbed you and I just- I reacted before I really thought about it." Pansy said defensively. Her shoulders slumped forward. She turned her pouty face on Hotaru, making it difficult to be mad at her.

'Well,' Hotaru thought. 'She _did_ punch Harry in the face. But I can't expect her to like him all that much. After all, he _has_ been a jerk for the last month.'

"It's all right Pansy, I forgive you." Hotaru said, giving the other girl a one armed hug. Pansy's face brightened again, grinning from ear to ear. "But that doesn't mean you can get away with it again."

Pansy's grin disappeared for a moment, and a look of annoyance replaced it. "Oh, all _right_." She said, crossing her arms. "Merlin, we are supposed to be at flying class in ten minutes." Pansy slapped her forehead in annoyance.

"I'll stay with Hotaru." Blaise said, not moving from his chair.

"Well then I'll stay too." Pansy said, crossing her arms again.

"No, it's okay guys, you don't have to-" Hotaru said, putting her hands up to quiet her friends. They ignored her. "Pansy, don't you want to see Malfoy?" Hotaru asked nervously. She didn't want either of them to skip classes for her.

Pansy turned to Hotaru pouting.

"I'll be fine Pansy." Hotaru assured her. She ran a hand through her thick black hair and sighed.

"Well, I was given instructions not to leave you home Hotaru." Blaise said. "You, Pansy, were not given those orders as far as I know, so you should be hurrying on to flying class." Blaise almost frowned. He loved flying and was disappointed to miss the class. But he felt that he had a duty to watch over his friend. Especially since he had been confronted by _the_ Sailor Saturn.

Pansy glared icily at Blaise before turning back to Hotaru. She clasped her shoulder and gave her a half grin. "I'll tell them where you two are and I'll be back after class." Hotaru smiled at her before Pansy turned and left the Common Room, closing the portrait behind her.

Blaise kicked his feet up on the table in front of the couch he was lounging on.

"Well, gonna sit down 'Taru?" He asked lazily, patting the space beside him for emphasis. Hotaru walked over and sat beside him. She leaned back, allowing herself to sink into the soft couch. She glanced over and saw Blaise's cross his arms behind his head, and close his eyes.

_I wonder what he is thinking about…_ Hotaru wondered.

_**Children if his sort have much on their minds.**_ Sailor Saturn said solemnly, her voice resembled a whisper.

_What do you mean 'of his sort'?_

_**Children in the house of Slytherin bear a terrible burden. The burden of their parents.**_

_What is the burden of their parents?_

_**In time Hotaru, you will learn all of this is time. **_

_I see… Well, I have another question._

_**Go ahead Hotaru.**_

_It's about Pansy. Ever since I came here she has… Well, taken a liking to me. But not just that, she seems to be extremely over protective. Almost obsessive. Why do you think that is?_

_**She has the blood of a Saturnian. It's not much. In fact, less that 5. However, that small bit of Saturnian blood is enough to have awakened in her when she first came in contact with you. She had an unconscious urge to protect you and to serve you. **_

_Why didn't you tell me this before?_

_**There is a time and a place for everything Hotaru, especially information. Trust me when I tell you that there are things that you do not need to know at the current time. **_

_But-_

_**Yes, even about Pansy Parkinson.**_

"Hotaru?"

Hotaru was snapped back to reality by Blaise's voice. She looked over at his concerned face. "Are you all right? You seemed to be concentrating on something pretty hard."

Hotaru, for some reason focused on something totally unimportant in what he said. "You have a very nice accent." She said without thinking.

Blaise cleared his throat, seeming embarrassed. "Well, I uh… I was raised in Italy. My father was Italian." There was a moment of silence. "Anyway, how are you feeling?"

"I am feeling fine Blaise," Hotaru said, blushing at her outburst. She hadn't meant to say it out loud. She yawned. She was actually rather tired. Her training drained her of energy.

"Ah, tired are we?" Blaise laughed as he saw Hotaru nod. "Well, just lie down and I will get you a blanket. Hotaru watched Blaise disappear up the stairs to the boys dormitory.

_**Hotaru, we need to proceed with your training.**_ Sailor Saturn said abruptly.

_What brought this up?_ Hotaru thought sleepily.

_**I feel a strong power coming. Several actually. **_That woke Hotaru up momentarily.

_Are they coming after me?_

_**No. They know you are here, but they don't know **_**who**_** you are yet. You need to train while you still can. Before they **_**do**_** find out who you are.**_

Hotaru nodded subconsciously. She hadn't noticed Blaise return. She shivered involuntarily from the idea that others who wanted to destroy her were coming. Blaise interpreted this as her being cold and needing the blanket however, so he laid it over her.

"Take a nap 'Taru." He said, smiling before sitting in an arm chair by the fire. Hotaru nodded, sleep taking over her thoughts once more. Her last thoughts before unconsciousness took her were of Sailor Saturn, the power coming after her and the wonderful smell of the blanket that she was snuggling up with.

--------------------------

A/N: WOW. I haven't written in a while. Sorry. V.v I've be busy. I had to quit my job because I started having medical problems. Bells Palsy as well as some other things that the doctor can't seem to figure out. I'll try to get another chapter out soon, but I can't really make any promises. I will try though. Those of you who have stuck with this story, I really appreciate it. If it weren't for my readers I wouldn't still be trying.

KISSES!

-Meroko

P.S: Thank you to skywiseskychan for telling me about my dividers not working. I For some reason it works in word doc. But not on . Thanks )


	13. Chapter 13

A/N: This chapter is two different perspectives of one event and what led to that event. Sorry about the confusion!

---------------------------

Hotaru woke up just as she heard the portrait being opened. Blaise was sitting on the chair across from her, dozing with his head leaned against the tall back. A second later though, he was as awake as she was. Pansy and Malfoy were back, and Pansy seemed to be laughing about something Malfoy had done. Hotaru really couldn't see why Pansy was so smitten with him. He could be a right foul git sometimes.

"Oh Draco, that was just so funny." She cooed as her and Malfoy walked in the door. Malfoy was smirking at her comment as though he knew she was right. Hotaru rolled her eyes and shook her head.

"Hey mate, what happened?" Blaise asked, rubbing the sleep from his eyes.

"I just messed with the Gryffindors a bit." Malfoy said, smirking again. He said the word Gryffindor with malice.

"Oh man, what did you do this time?" Blaise asked, laughing as he stood and walked over to Malfoy.

"That great lump Longbottom got a Rememberall today," Malfoy said. "The dolt brought it with him to the flying lesson and lost control of his broom. Bloody idiot broke his wrist when he went flying everywhere." Malfoy paused to laugh at the memory. "When old Hooch took him to the Hospital Wing, Pans saw his Rememberall in the grass and pointed it out to me so I picked it up. I was going to let him have it back of course… when he climbed onto the roof to get it that is." Malfoy grinned evilly and Hotaru liked him a bit less.

"Mate, you can be such a prat." Blaise laughed good naturedly, patting Malfoy on the back.

"There's more!" Pansy said with a squeal.

"Saint Potter tried to get the stupid thing back." Malfoy said, rolling his eyes. "So I threw it and landed before McGonagall got there. But he wasn't so lucky." The evil grin was back. "I bet she took that prat to the headmaster for flying without supervision."

Pansy laughed at this, and so did Blaise, but Hotaru stood, a look of defiance in her eyes. Blaise and Pansy stopped laughing at once, but Malfoy wasn't so quick. Hotaru marched over to him, feeling more confident than she ever had before, and got right in his face.

"Draco Malfoy, you are not the most despicable human being I have ever met, but you are getting up there with every passing day. What is your problem with Harry? Did he do something to you? I won't just stand back and watch you get my friend into trouble and then laugh about it. He has probably had more problems and suffered more than you have, and all you do is-"

"Um, Hotaru-"

"Not now Pansy." Hotaru said, silencing her friend with a look. Malfoy was just staring at her in disbelief.

"But Hotaru-"

"No, it's okay Pansy, let her talk." Malfoy said, his eyes gone stone cold. The look in them made Hotaru have to force back a shiver. "Tell me Riddle, tell me how much Potter has suffered. Surely no one can comprehend."

Hotaru lost her words for a moment, but quickly recovered. "Why should I tell you everything he has had to suffer?"

"Because other people have suffered too Riddle, not just your precious Potter." Malfoy spat before turning and walking up the stairs to the boy's dormitory. Blaise gave Hotaru an apologetic look and then went after Malfoy.

Hotaru turned to look at Pansy, who wouldn't meet her eyes. All of a sudden the confidence she had felt when she marched over to Malfoy faded. Now she felt guilty for her outburst. So Malfoy had taunted Harry. But it wasn't as if _they_ were friends and she couldn't expect Malfoy to be nice to Harry on her behalf since she wasn't friends with Malfoy either.

_But Harry could be expelled!_ Hotaru thought to herself, trying to justify her actions. She knew that other people suffered, of course they did. Only an idiot would think otherwise.

"Hotaru, lets go to the dorm." Pansy said quietly, taking Hotaru's hand and leading her to the stairs. Hotaru made no protest and followed Pansy. Once they were in their room with the door closed, Hotaru sat on her bed and Pansy laid down on hers.

"Hotaru, don't be so mad at Draco," Pansy began carefully. "He has been through a lot, and part of it… Well, part of it is kind of due to Potter. We have all suffered because of him."

Hotaru was rather taken aback by Pansy's words. "What do you mean you have all suffered because of him? You have only just met him." Hotaru said stubbornly, flopping down on her own bed.

"It's complicated." Pansy said uncertainly.

"Complicated?" Hotaru said, annoyed.

"I really don't want to get into it Hotaru." Pansy said quietly. "All I want to say is that we have our reasons not to like him, regardless of his being your friend. Can you accept that?"

Hotaru was quiet for a moment before answering.

"Yes, I suppose I can deal with that." She said, still slightly annoyed as she rolled over her bed onto her side

**ONE HOUR EARLIER**

Pansy had just left the Common Room, and was hoping Hotaru would be all right. She knew that she would be, of course. But for some reason she was strangely drawn to the girl. Her need to protect her overpowered everything else, and it was the strangest sensation. Pansy had never been protective of anyone besides herself, Draco and Blaise. Pansy thought on the matter for a few minutes before she spotted Draco ahead of her in the hall. She grinned and darted up behind him, latching herself to his arm when she was close enough.

"Drakkie, lets walk to class together." Pansy said in a sickly sweet voice. She hoped he wouldn't just shake her off his arm. She waited, walking in silence by him for a few seconds before he finally shrugged. Warmth filled Pansy's body as she hugged Draco's arm tighter. Things had become a bit weird between them since Hogwarts started. Just last year they were thick as thieves, but now he seemed like he didn't want anything to do with her. Pansy bit her lip as she tried not to cry while wondering why Draco suddenly disliked her. She shook her head and sighed, trying to shake those thoughts loose of her mind.

"Pansy, are you quite all right?" Draco asked, raising an eyebrow. Pansy blushed as she realized she had been sighing and shaking her head and making strange movements while lost in her thoughts.

"Er, yes Draco, I'm fine." She answered quietly.

"Good," Draco said, shifting his arm a bit. "Can you loosen up then? I'm losing feeling in my arm." He added uncomfortably.

Pansy blushed again and loosened her grip on Draco's arm. They walked in silence, which seemed strange to Pansy until she realized that they were late for class which meant that everyone else was already in their classes or at the Pitch.

"We need to hurry, we are all ready late." Pansy said, letting go of Draco's arm, and quickening her pace. Draco quickened his pace to keep up with her, and they made their way in silence out the doors to the Quidditch Pitch.

Pansy and Draco made it to the Pitch right as Hooch's back was turned. Draco automatically put on a haughty grin toward Potter, trying to goad him. Pansy laughed quietly, egging Draco on until Hooch turned back around. Her eyes squinted a bit when they landed on Draco and Pansy, but she shrugged her shoulders, simply writing it off as her not seeing them at first. Pansy looked down at the broomsticks beside them and wondered if they would actually be able to ride them today.

"All right class put your dominant hand over your broom and say, 'up.'" Hooch instructed as soon as she was satisfied that everyone was present. Pansy held her left hand out over her broom and said up. A second later, the broom was in her hand. She set the tail against the ground and leaned against it was she watched amusedly at the Gryffindors struggling to get their brooms in the air, except Potter, she noticed with a sneer. She then saw that all the Slytherins had gotten their brooms to their hands without difficulty. Of course, they were all trained with brooms at home. She looked over at Draco, who was staring amusedly at the mudblood Granger, whose broom was flopping around on the ground. Pansy actually let out a shrill laugh at the sight, enjoying the know-it-all's inability to control the broomstick.

A few minutes later, the inept Gryffindors finally had their brooms in hand, even the dolt Longbottom, the last to get it. Pansy awaited further instruction which was given by Hooch seconds after Longbottom got the broom in his hand.

"All right, I want you to mount your brooms and kick off the ground _lightly_. Hover for a moment and then come back down by tipping the nose of your broom gently downward." Pansy mounted her broom along with the rest of the class. "On my whistle then," Hooch blew her whistle and Pansy kicked lightly to hover a few feet off the ground. It was easy enough, but out of the corner of her eye she caught sight of a broom rising higher and higher.

"Mr. Longbottom, come back down at once!" Hooch called to the idiot Gryffindor. "Mr- Mr. Longbottom!" She called again, but the lump just sat on his broom, rising ever higher. He was thirty feet in the air before he completely lost control of the broom. The broom shook him back and forth, and zoomed around in the air, climbing and falling, and flying in circles. Amidst the confusion, a glass ball fell from Longbottoms pocket. After a few minutes of sporadic flying, Longbottom finally fell off of his broom and down the thirty odd feet to the ground not too awfully far from where the students were standing, as the majority had been chasing after him. The Gryffindors out of fear for their fellow housemate, and the Slytherins out of sheer entertainment. Pansy let out a cackle when Longbottom fell. There was loud crack when the great lard hit the ground, and Hooch rushed over to him, announced that his wrist was broke and turned to take him to the hospital wing. Before she left however, she turned to warn the students.

"If I see a single broom in the air when I get back, the rider will be out of Hogwarts before you can say 'Quidditch.'" She said, before she walked away with the quivering mass of Gryffindor.

Pansy smirked and nudged Draco, pointing subtly at the ball which she recognized as a Rememberall that Longbottom dropped during his ride. Draco met her smirk with one of her own as he walked over to it and picked it up.

"Hey, look what Longbottom dropped," He said evilly. Potter walked over to Draco, eyes hardened and his hand held out.

"Give it here Malfoy." He said, as though he expected Draco to just hand it to him. As if. Obviously Potter had something to learn about Draco, and Slytherins in general. Pansy could tell the same thought was going through Draco's mind when he tossed the Rememberall in the air and caught it again.

"No, I don't think I will." He said with a mock apologetic shrug.

"Give it _here_ Malfoy." Potter said again, trying to be forceful. Pansy laughed out loud at his sheer idiocy. No one ordered a _Malfoy_ around, especially a half blooded piece of crap who messed with a fellow Slytherin.

"No, I think I'll leave it somewhere for Longbottom to find it," Draco let out a brief laugh, and mounted his broom. "How about on the roof?" He said, as he kicked up from the ground, soaring above the trees. Draco was a beautiful flyer with constant control over the broom. He had been trained that way for as long as Pansy could remember. She incredulously watched Potter mount his own broom, knowing that Potter had never flown in his life since he was raised with dirty Muggles.

He rose into the air, level with Draco, who did nothing but sneer at him. Pansy knew that Draco wasn't allowed to fight in school, his father forbade it. He said that he couldn't have a son who was ruin his name with petty schoolyard violence. However, Vince and Greg had no such qualms since their fathers were all for schoolyard violence as long as it was against a Gryffindor or a Mudblood.

Pansy couldn't hear the words being exchanged, but she saw their mouths moving before Draco drew his arm back and threw the Rememberall. He then glided back down to the ground, and watched as Potter flew to catch the glass ball. He was flying fast toward the ground, and with any luck he would make contact and break a bone or something that would remove his presence for at least the rest of the class period.

Pansy was disappointed when Potter managed to not only catch the ball, but pull out of the dive just before he hit the ground. She made an audible groan, but the groan turned to glee when she saw the severe face of McGonagall walking toward Potter.

"Mr. Potter!" Came the angry voice of the Professor. "Come with me." She said, grabbing his wrist, and dragging him along with her.

"But Professor, it wasn't- Malfoy- He-" The blood traitor sputtered, red faced.

"I don't want to hear it Mr. Weasley." She snapped, and pulled Potter away from the pitch toward the castle. Pansy cackled loudly once they were out of earshot.

"That was bloody brilliant Draco," She said, praise practically oozing out of her skin. Draco looked smug and stood in the same spot having a glaring contest with Weasley.

"What the bloody hell is your problem Malfoy?" Weasley spat at Draco, taking what was supposed to be a menacing step forward. Crabbe and Goyle stepped forward as well, and Draco did nothing to wave them down.

"Ah, my problem Weasley?" Draco asked innocently. "My problem would be you and your little friend." Draco hissed, his eyes narrowing. Weasley looked as though he were going to retort, but at that moment Hooch made her reappearance. She looked around and asked what happened to Potter. The know-it-all mudblood told her that McGonagall took him back to the castle and Hooch seemed to settle for that. The rest of the class continued without incident. At the end, Pansy and Draco headed back to the Slytherin Common Room to tell Blaise about what happened. Pansy hoped that Hotaru wouldn't be too angry, since she had just forgiven Pansy for punching Potter. However, Draco had no such problem as he and Hotaru weren't really friends. Crabbe and Goyle went walked in the direction of the kitchens while Pansy and Draco continued on to the Common Room. Draco spoke the password and they both walked it.

"Oh Draco, that was just so funny." Pansy cooed as her and Draco walked in the door. Draco smirked at her before turning his head to look at Blaise.

"Hey mate, what happened?" Blaise asked, rubbing the sleep from his eyes.

"I just messed with the Gryffindors a bit." Draco said, smirking again. He said the word Gryffindor with in a joking way.

"Oh man, what did you do this time?" Blaise asked, laughing as he stood and walked over to stand by Pansy and Draco.

"That great lump Longbottom got a Rememberall today," Draco said. "The dolt brought it with him to the flying lesson and lost control of his broom. Bloody idiot broke his wrist when he went flying everywhere." Draco paused to laugh at the memory. "When old Hooch took him to the Hospital Wing, Pans saw his Rememberall in the grass and pointed it out to me so I picked it up. I was going to let him have it back of course… when he climbed onto the roof to get it that is." Malfoy grinned evilly and Pansy felt herself grin in response.

"Mate, you can be such a prat." Blaise laughed good naturedly, patting Draco on the back.

"There's more!" Pansy said with a squeal.

"Saint Potter tried to get the stupid thing back." Draco said, rolling his eyes. "So I threw it and landed before McGonagall got there. But he wasn't so lucky." The sadistic smirk that Pansy loved once again graced his face. "I bet she took that prat to the headmaster for flying without supervision."

Pansy laughed at this, and so did Blaise. Right then, Hotaru stood, a look of defiance in her eyes. Blaise and Pansy stopped laughing at once, but Draco wasn't so quick. Hotaru marched over to him, and Pansy cringed inwardly as she got in his face.

"Draco Malfoy, you are not the most despicable human being I have ever met, but you are getting up there with every passing day. What is your problem with Harry? Did he do something to you? I won't just stand back and watch you get my friend into trouble and then laugh about it. He has probably had more problems and suffered more than you have, and all you do is-"

"Um, Hotaru-"

"Not now Pansy." Hotaru said, cutting Pansy off in her protests. She could tell that the girl was too busy with her tirade to notice the darkening of Draco's eyes behind the look of disbelief.

"But Hotaru-" Pansy said urgently, worried about what her friend might set off.

"No, it's okay Pansy, let her talk." Draco said, his eyes gone stone cold. Pansy bit her lip, knowing that Draco was pissed off.

"Tell me Riddle, tell me how much Potter has suffered. Surely no one can comprehend."

Pansy watched helplessly as Hotaru lost her words for a moment, but quickly recovered. "Why should I tell you everything he has had to suffer?"

"Because other people have suffered too Riddle, not just your precious Potter." Draco spat before turning and walking up the stairs to the boy's dormitory. Pansy heard the hurt behind the anger, and she felt her heart fall. Blaise stopped to give Hotaru an apologetic look and then went after Draco.

Hotaru turned to look at Pansy, who wouldn't meet her eyes. Pansy wasn't quite sure what to say to her Friend. So Draco had taunted Potter. But it wasn't as if _they_ were friends and she couldn't expect Draco to be nice to Potter on her behalf since she wasn't friends with Draco either.

"Hotaru, lets go to the dorm." Pansy said quietly, taking Hotaru's hand and leading her to the stairs. Hotaru made no protest and followed her. Once they were in their room with the door closed, Hotaru sat on her bed and Pansy laid down on hers.

"Hotaru, don't be so mad at Draco," Pansy began carefully. "He has been through a lot, and part of it… Well, part of it is kind of due to Potter. We have all suffered because of him."

Pansy saw the confusion flash on Hotaru's face when she mentioned the pain they had been through because of Potter. Or, more pointedly, the fall of Voldemort. It had been hard on their parents who were Death Eaters, which in turn had made their life harder. Draco's life especially.

"What do you mean you have all suffered because of him? You have only just met him." Hotaru said stubbornly, flopping down on her own bed.

"It's complicated." Pansy said uncertainly. She wasn't quite sure how to explain to her without giving away too much information.

"Complicated?" Hotaru said, sounding annoyed.

"I really don't want to get into it Hotaru." Pansy said quietly, deciding it was a discussion for another time. "All I want to say is that we have our reasons not to like him, regardless of his being your friend. Can you accept that?"

Hotaru was quiet for a moment before answering.

"Yes, I suppose I can deal with that." She said, and Pansy swore she rolled her eyes as she rolled over on her bed, but it might have just been her imagination. She lay in her bed staring at the ceiling wondering what was going to happen with Hotaru and Draco. Would they ever get along?

----------------------

A/N: Yes, yes, I know that I take forever to post. I'm sorry. I have too much going on, and the Doctor still doesn't know what is medically wrong with me yet. I'll work on the next chapter tomorrow. Thanks for the reviews from the last chapter. You guy are awesome and I love you. Review pleasssse.

-Meroko


	14. Chapter 14

A/N: Thank you for the reviews :D

skywiseskychan: Thank you so much for spotting that! I am going to fix it right now. :D Also, the reason she didn't use the glaive or any attacks she has as a sailor scout is because it was a test to make her use her wizardry magic. I will fix that part to make is more understandable :) Thanks for the review!

By the way guys, this story is going to be going through all 7 years at Hogwarts. That means I will be be kinda speeding through the first couple to get to the better years. The last 3 or 4. I will try not to leave anythign major out though. My main focus of the story doesn't really happen much til 3rd year or so. But I felt that I needed to introduce Hotaru going into Hogwarts in her first year. The Sailor Scouts will be coming in soon, no worries. :)

-------------------------

"Hotaru, it's time to get up!" Pansy said, jumping on Hotaru's bed eagerly.

Hotaru just pulled the blanket up and over her head before letting out a loud groan. She wished she could tell her best friend about her late night/early morning training sessions, but knew that she couldn't. Especially knowing that most Pureblood families served the Dark Lord.

_AKA: Dad._ Hotaru thought to herself, annoyed. Why did he have to be her father? If he wasn't her father, Harry would never have acted the way he had. But then... She also may never have met Harry at all.

Hotaru decided to forgive Voldemort for being her father. She slowly pulled the blanket off of her face and sat up. She shook her head and rubbed her eyes trying to rid herself of the troublesome sleep that made her want to simply fall back down on her bed and sleep for the rest of the day.

Pansy was already up, dressed and waiting for Hotaru to get up so they could go down to the Common Room.

"Pansy, you know that you don't have to wait for me, right?" Hotaru said, still slightly grumpy from lack of sleep.

"Oh, I know." Pansy said nonchalantly, "But is it so horrible that I want to wait for my bestest friend in the whole wide world?" She batted her eyelashes in a very girly way, making Hotaru laugh.

"Okay, okay, I'm hurrying." Hotaru said, rolling her eyes. She quickly changed into a clean set of robes and moved to meet an impatient Pansy at the door. They made their way downstairs, practically falling over each other. When they got downstairs, Malfoy and Blaise were waiting for them. Correction; Blaise was waiting for them. Malfoy was waiting for Blaise.

"Hey, it's about time you two got down here." Blaise said jokingly as he lightly punched Hotaru in the shoulder. "We need to hurry or we'll be late for breakfast." Blaise extended both arms out to Hotaru and Pansy. "Shall we?"

Pansy took Blaise's arm and rolled her eyes, while Hotaru blushed - even though she was getting used to this treatment - and took his arm as well. Draco followed behind, ever so silent in Hotaru's presence and they walked out the portrait hole toward breakfast.

------------------------------

"I wonder where Hotaru is... She is going to miss breakfast." Harry grumbled. He was feeling very protective of Hotaru again since their recent reconciliation. Wait, _was_ it a reconciliation? Not officially. But Harry knew Hotaru's body language better than anyone else, and it told him that he was forgiven. For the fifth time since he had spoken to her, Harry breathed out a happy sigh.

"What's going on mate?" Ron asked, confused. "You sure have been happy since yesterday. What happened anyway?" Ron stuffed a large drumstick in his mouth as he stared intently at Harry.

"I..." Harry wasn't sure what Ron would think of him being on speaking terms with Hotaru - not to mention, a _Slytherin_. "Well, I finally made up with Hotaru." Harry said quickly, reaching for some eggs and bacon.

"'Ou 'ade up wi' '_er_?" Ron asked incredulously through a mouth full of food. He quickly chewed and swallowed and then continued. "She is a Slytherin Harry. Not just a Slytherin, she hangs out with _Malfoy's_ little groupies." Ron said with utter disgust.

"I don't care who she hangs out with Ron. She is still Hotaru, and I can't punish her for someone else's actions." Harry said distractedly as he looked for her in the crowd of people coming into the Great Hall.

"Who's actions?" Ron asked, as intrigued as Ron ever is when there is food around.

"Nothing, don't worry about it." Harry said quickly. He didn't want the truth of Hotaru's lineage getting out. As much as it disturbed him, he didn't want to give anyone else a reason to hate her. Ron just hated her because Harry did. Though Harry didn't really hate her, he was just in shock of who her father was. Harry let out a sigh and ate a piece of bacon. He knew that out of the two of them, he had always been the better fed one. Hotaru'd been practically starved her whole life. A weaker person would possibly have gone crazy in her situation, though Harry liked to think that his presence had had something to do with her in tact sanity.

--------------------------------

Hotaru walked into the Great Hall and immediately scanned the Gryffindor table for Harry. She had hoped that things would be back to normal between the two of them now. After a few seconds she met his emerald eyes. They both smiled at each other and then looked away. This was enough for them, because they both knew what the other was thinking. Everything was fine between them now.

Hotaru followed her friends, which unfortunately included Draco Malfoy, to the Slytherin table. She sat in between Blaise and Pansy, as usual. She grabbed a couple pieces of bacon and a small spoon full of scrambled eggs. Blaise gave her a stern look, so she grabbed a few extra pieces of bacon.

"Happy?" She asked, showing him the plate.

"Extremely." Blaise said giving her a toothy grin.

Hotaru smiled back at him, even blushed a bit. A few feet away, Malfoy was talking to a third year girl with long blonde hair in a strange hair style like meatballs and spaghetti. In fact, Malfoy was calling her 'Meatballs'. Couldn't he be nice to _anyone_?

Professor Quirrell walked past her on his way to the front of the Great Hall to sit with the teachers. Hotaru kept her head down as he passed. She had a bad feeling about Quirrell. She picked a piece of bacon up and began to eat. As she chewed, her mind grew fuzzy. Maybe it was the lack of sleep, but Hotaru felt a sudden wave of dizziness. She shook her head, trying to rid herself of the troublesome feeling and continued eating. A few moments later, her head began to nod up and down. The room began to spin and voices - at first calm, and then somewhat scared - slurred together.

"Hota-..."

"-aru, are you..."

"-are you ok?"

Hotaru heard a few voices from around her, but she couldn't quite bring herself to focus on them completely. She closed her eyes, but when she tried to open them, they seemed to be sealed shut.

_**Hotaru, you need to be careful.**_

_Sailor Saturn? What's going on?_

_**There seems to be some kind of evil force nearby. This has happened only a handful of times, but I feel as though something bad is happening.**_

_Does it have anything to do with the other Scouts?_

_**No, I don't believe so. It must be something else... **_

A few moments of silence when by.

_Sailor Saturn?_

_**Yes, I'm sorry. I am trying to figure out what could be going on. Don't worry about it for now Hotaru. It is time for you to wake up. Whatever it was has passed...**_

Hotaru slowly opened her eyes. She blinked a few times as she adjusted to the bright light of the infirmary.

"Hotaru, you're awake." Hotaru heard Blaise's voice beside her. She could practically hear the grin playing on his lips as he spoke.

"B-Blaise?" Hotaru stuttered. "What happened?"

"I don't know. You were eating a piece of bacon when you just passed out. You looked confused at first, and then you just fell." Blaise said with an apologetic tone. "Sorry I didn't catch you." He said, squeezing her hand. She hadn't even noticed that he was holding it. Just then she felt a throbbing on the left side of her face. Of course, she _would_ have hit something.

Hotaru let her head flop to the side opposite Blaise. She saw a flash of blonde that disappeared so quickly she wasn't sure she had even seen it. She looked over at Blaise and was about to ask him if he had seen it before interrupted her with an answer.

"Pansy was detained by a Professor, so Draco came along. He waited here with me until you woke up. I don't think he wanted you to know that he was here, that stupid prat." Blaise said with a chuckle. "He isn't too cold hearted. A bit stubborn, prideful, egocentric... Maybe cowardly, but not cold hearted."

Hotaru allowed herself a small smile. It was nice to know that Malfoy didn't hate her. She wasn't quite sure what to make of him though. He certainly wasn't a friend, but he wasn't an enemy. He was just... There.

That was good enough for her.

"So what happened to Pansy that made her need to be detained by a Professor?" Hotaru asked, puzzled. Blaise laughed and rolled his eyes.

"It was pretty ridiculous."

-------------------------

"Hotaru! Are you alright?" Pansy cried as Hotaru walked into the Common Room. She ran forward to hug her friend looking relieved, angry and happy all at the same time. Hotaru blinked a couple times before hugging her back. She smiled at Pansy's reaction to seeing her. Hotaru wasn't completely sure why Pansy had taken to her so quickly, nor did she understand the intense protective streak toward her. However, Hotaru found that she really didn't mind. She had never had anyone to be protective of her besides Harry. She found it rather nice.

"I'm fine Pansy," Hotaru murmured. She pulled back and gave Pansy a questioning look. "So what did you do to be detained by a professor?"

Pansy rolled her eyes. "Look, before you get mad at me, just know that it was not _all_ my fault!" She said indignantly. "I know Potter is your friend again and all, but that doesn't mean I like him, trust him, or want him around."

"Oh Pansy, what did you do to him?" Hotaru asked shaking her head.

"She clocked the prat right in the nose." Blaise said, a sadistic grin playing on his lips. Pansy glared daggers at him until he turned back to the fire, his shoulders tensed as he cringed.

"Pansy!" Hotaru cried in annoyance.

"'Taru, I _know_! I'm sorry, okay? He just came over and grabbed you and I just- I reacted before I really thought about it." Pansy said defensively. Her shoulders slumped forward. She turned her pouty face on Hotaru, making it difficult to be mad at her.

'Well,' Hotaru thought. 'She _did_ punch Harry in the face. But I can't expect her to like him all that much. After all, he _has_ been a jerk for the last month.'

"It's all right Pansy, I forgive you." Hotaru said, giving the other girl a one armed hug. Pansy's face brightened again, grinning from ear to ear. "But that doesn't mean you can get away with it again."

Pansy's grin disappeared for a moment, and a look of annoyance replaced it. "Oh, all _right_." She said, crossing her arms. "Merlin, we are supposed to be at flying class in ten minutes." Pansy slapped her forehead in annoyance.

"I'll stay with Hotaru." Blaise said, not moving from his chair.

"Well then I'll stay too." Pansy said, crossing her arms again.

"No, it's okay guys, you don't have to-" Hotaru said, putting her hands up to quiet her friends. They ignored her. "Pansy, don't you want to see Malfoy?" Hotaru asked nervously. She didn't want either of them to skip classes for her.

Pansy turned to Hotaru pouting.

"I'll be fine Pansy." Hotaru assured her. She ran a hand through her thick black hair and sighed.

"Well, I was given instructions not to leave you home Hotaru." Blaise said. "You, Pansy, were not given those orders as far as I know, so you should be hurrying on to flying class." Blaise almost frowned. He loved flying and was disappointed to miss the class. But he felt that he had a duty to watch over his friend. Especially since he had been confronted by _the_ Sailor Saturn.

Pansy glared icily at Blaise before turning back to Hotaru. She clasped her shoulder and gave her a half grin. "I'll tell them where you two are and I'll be back after class." Hotaru smiled at her before Pansy turned and left the Common Room, closing the portrait behind her.

Blaise kicked his feet up on the table in front of the couch he was lounging on.

"Well, gonna sit down 'Taru?" He asked lazily, patting the space beside him for emphasis. Hotaru walked over and sat beside him. She leaned back, allowing herself to sink into the soft couch. She glanced over and saw Blaise's cross his arms behind his head, and close his eyes.

_I wonder what he is thinking about…_ Hotaru wondered.

_**Children if his sort have much on their minds.**_ Sailor Saturn said solemnly, her voice resembled a whisper.

_What do you mean 'of his sort'?_

_**Children in the house of Slytherin bear a terrible burden. The burden of their parents.**_

_What is the burden of their parents?_

_**In time Hotaru, you will learn all of this is time. **_

_I see… Well, I have another question._

_**Go ahead Hotaru.**_

_It's about Pansy. Ever since I came here she has… Well, taken a liking to me. But not just that, she seems to be extremely over protective. Almost obsessive. Why do you think that is?_

_**She has the blood of a Saturnian. It's not much. In fact, less than 1%. However, that small bit of Saturnian blood is enough to have awakened in her when she first came in contact with you. She had an unconscious urge to protect you and to serve you. **_

_Why didn't you tell me this before?_

_**There is a time and a place for everything Hotaru, especially information. Trust me when I tell you that there are things that you do not need to know at the current time. **_

_But-_

_**Yes, even about Pansy Parkinson.**_

"Hotaru?"

Hotaru was snapped back to reality by Blaise's voice. She looked over at his concerned face. "Are you all right? You seemed to be concentrating on something pretty hard."

Hotaru, for some reason focused on something totally unimportant in what he said. "You have a very nice accent." She said without thinking.

Blaise cleared his throat, seeming embarrassed. "Well, I uh… I was raised in Italy. My father was Italian." There was a moment of silence. "Anyway, how are you feeling?"

"I am feeling fine Blaise," Hotaru said, blushing at her outburst. She hadn't meant to say it out loud. She yawned. She was actually rather tired. Her training drained her of energy.

"Ah, tired are we?" Blaise laughed as he saw Hotaru nod. "Well, just lie down and I will get you a blanket. Hotaru watched Blaise disappear up the stairs to the boys dormitory.

_**Hotaru, we need to proceed with your training.**_ Sailor Saturn said abruptly.

_What brought this up?_ Hotaru thought sleepily.

_**I feel a strong power coming. Several actually. **_That woke Hotaru up momentarily.

_Are they coming after me?_

_**No. They know you are here, but they don't know **_**who**_** you are yet. You need to train while you still can. Before they **_**do**_** find out who you are.**_

Hotaru nodded subconsciously. She hadn't noticed Blaise return. She shivered involuntarily from the idea that others who wanted to destroy her were coming. Blaise interpreted this as her being cold and needing the blanket however, so he laid it over her.

"Take a nap 'Taru." He said, smiling before sitting in an arm chair by the fire. Hotaru nodded, sleep taking over her thoughts once more. Her last thoughts before unconsciousness took her were of Sailor Saturn, the power coming after her and the wonderful smell of the blanket that she was snuggling up with.

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A/N: WOW. I haven't written in a while. Sorry. V.v I've be busy. I had to quit my job because I started having medical problems. Bells Palsy as well as some other things that the doctor can't seem to figure out. I'll try to get another chapter out soon, but I can't really make any promises. I will try though. Those of you who have stuck with this story, I really appreciate it. If it weren't for my readers I wouldn't still be trying.

KISSES!

-Meroko

P.S: Thank you to skywiseskychan for telling me about my dividers not working. I For some reason it works in word doc. But not on . Thanks )


	15. Chapter 15

CHAPTER 15!

I would just like to make sure everyone understands this story.

The inner scouts have grown up together in the magical world. It is not the same as in the anime. I had to change it for the purposes of the story, so don't expect the same back stories on any of the sailor scouts. However, some things are going to remain similar. You will see. =)

I also have it to where the spirits of all the scouts have the spirit of their respective warrior helping them with the transition into being a sailor scout which MIGHT come in to play later, but mostly it will just be about Hotaru.

**####**

Hotaru arrived at the Slytherin Common Room alongside Blaise and Pansy. Malfoy had separated from them along with Crabbe and Goyle, much to Hotaru's relief. She didn't want to have to deal with Malfoy's snarky attitude any more than she had to.

"I can't believe there is a _troll_ in the dungeons!" Pansy exclaimed, falling into a cushiony armchair, her legs over one of the soft arms with her head resting on the other.

"I know, me either. Wasn't this school supposed to be the best protected?" Blaise asked with a slight sneer. "I think everyone puts too much stock in old Dumbledore."

Blaise went over and sat in the chair next to Pansy's and sighed. He looked over the back of his chair, wondering why Hotaru wasn't sitting down just in time to see the portrait closing.

"Damn." He growled, standing up. "She went after Potter."

"Are you serious?" Pansy asked incredulously. "She is going after Potter, and the _troll_?"

"Don't forget Weasley." Blaise's voice filled with disgust at the name.

"Well, let's go after her." Pansy got up from the chair, along with Blaise and the two of them headed out of the common room in pursuit of Hotaru.

**####**

_Okay, Professor Quirrell said the dungeons, didn't he?_ Hotaru asked hurriedly to Sailor Saturn.

_**Yes, but you really shouldn't be going after him Hotaru, this is reckless and stupid. **_

_Yes, yes, I know._

_**Did I mention this is stupid?**_

_Yes, you mentioned it. Stop being so angry at me, you are giving me a headache._

_**I believe I have the right to be angry when my 'host body' decides to do something that may get her killed.**_

"Hey!" Hotaru skidded to a halt. She'd been caught. She looked to see who called to her.

The girl had long black hair that swished heavily from side to side as she ran to catch up with Hotaru.

"You aren't allowed to be out of bed!" She said sternly as she walked the last few feet to when Hotaru was standing. "Don't you know there is a troll about?"

Hotaru stood in her spot, shaking from head to toe. This girl was… scary.

_Sailor Saturn, what should I do?_

There was silence. No one in her mind but herself.

_Great time to run off._ She thought sarcastically.

"Yes, I heard about the troll." Hotaru gulped as the girls face turned red and her lips pursed. "But I was just trying to find a friend of mine! He left before the announcement about the troll was made by Quirrell and I don't think he knows about it."

"Well you should have told one of your prefects and had _them_ find your friend. Now you get back to your common room and wait until it is safe to come out."

Just then, the sound of shoes running through the halls became noticeable.

"What in the world?" The black haired girl sighed. "A troll is not as exciting as it sounds."

"Hotaru!" Pansy called, turning a corner. She started skidding to a stop when she saw the prefect beside her. "Damn, it's Hino." She whispered to Blaise who also slowed to a walk.

"What are you two doing out of your common room?" The prefect demanded, frustrated. "Is there something about the Slytherin house that give you permission so walk the halls when you are not allowed to that I don't know about?"

"Give it a rest, Hino." Blaise sneered. "We just came to collect Hotaru and go back to the Common Room."

"Well, hurry back." She replied shortly, giving Hotaru a little shove in the direction of the other Slytherins. "I don't want to see you out of your Common Room again tonight."

Hotaru half walked, half ran to her friends. Blaise put a hand on Hotaru's shoulder, gave one last disgusted look at Hino and turned back toward the Common Room with Hotaru and Pansy in tow. After they turned the corner, Hotaru let out a sigh of relief.

"What in the world were you thinking Hotaru?" Blaise burst out angrily.

Hotaru was rather taken aback by the sudden outburst of anger from Blaise. He had never really risen his voice to her before.

"What were you going to do if you found that troll, huh? Try to fight it? You would get yourself killed trying." Blaise wasn't even looking at her now, and his voice had lowered to a hiss that was somehow worse than the yelling.

Hotaru didn't say anything. There was nothing _to_ say. She felt horrible about making her friends worry so much.

_**Well, he is right Hotaru.**_

_Wow. Fine time for you to show up._

_**I had to hide my presence.**_

_What for?_

_**I will explain later.**_

_How did I know you would say that?_

Hotaru didn't say anything to Blaise or Pansy until they reached the Common Room.

"I'm sorry." Hotaru said meekly. "I was just worried about-"

"Yes, yes, worried about _Potter_." Blaise spit venomously. "Why don't you try thinking of someone else for a change. Like, maybe yourself and your well being. Or is that too much to ask for?"

_Ouch._

"Look, I said I'm sorry Blaise. I wasn't thinking." Hotaru mumbled.

"I'll say." Pansy grunted.

"You two need to understand that I grew up with Harry." Hotaru said, trying not to get mad now. She knew they had every right to be angry with her, but there were things they didn't seem to understand. "Eleven years of having no one else to talk to except for abusive – they weren't even my _relatives_ – caretakers. No other friends, no other things to do but keep each other company." Hotaru's voice rose to just below yelling. She saw Pansy wince when she mentioned the Dursleys. "Now, I see him leave the Great Hall just moments before we find out there is a troll in the castle and you expect me to just sit back and wait around to see if the only person I could call friend for eleven years is still okay the next day?"

Blaise's face took on a new expression. Resentment, guilt, anxiety and something else she couldn't decipher. "Look, Hotaru, I'm sorry. You just scared us when you took off without saying anything."

Hotaru was silent for a moment, collecting herself before responding.

"Okay, I should have said something. But honestly, what would you have said?"

"We would have said no!" Pansy burst out angrily.

"Exactly! That is why I didn't say anything."

"Well, I understand you wanting to save Potter if necessary. But what do you think you would be able to do even if you did find him?"

"Well-" Hotaru started, but stopped. What _would_ she have done? Transformed? She didn't have _that _much control over her powers as Sailor Saturn. She also hadn't exactly mastered her wand. "I guess that's a good point." She admitted grudgingly. "It was a spur of the moment decision."

"Well, don't do that again." Pansy said, her lips pursed.

"No promises." Hotaru joked weakly, holding her arms out for a hug from her two friends. They obliged and Hotaru couldn't help but smile. It was a bit strange to have people other than Harry that actually cared about her.

"Hey, I'm going to head to bed early." Hotaru said, stretching. "You coming Pansy?"

"No, I'm going to hang out with Blaise for a while longer." Pansy said, giving Blaise a strange look.

"Yeah, we are going to hang out." Blaise said, looking a little confused.

"Okay, well I guess I'll see you two in the morning?"

"Of course." Pansy said, giving Hotaru another hug before turning and walking to the couch in front of the fire place.

"Good night Hotaru." Blaise said, giving her a hug as well before heading over to Pansy.

**####**

Hotaru got ready for bed and slipped under the emerald green covers. It was always cold in the Slytherin Common Room and their dorm.

_Okay, so are you ready to tell me why you just disappeared earlier?_

_**That girl was a Sailor Scout. I couldn't allow her to sense my presence. **_

_Which one was she?_

_**She was Sailor Mars. I had to disappear completely because she, unlike the others, has a heightened sense to spiritual beings. Especially in the case when there is more than one spirit in a single body. And since you have the spirit of Sailor Saturn within you, she is likely to be able to sense my presence. I am going to have to be more careful. **_

_Geez, what happens if she senses your presence?_

_**She could alert the other sailor soldiers and they could decide you are too much of a risk and attempt to exterminate you. **_

_Wow. Okay, so I won't get mad next time you disappear. _

_**Well, it would be rather needless. **_

_So do you think Harry will be okay?_

_**I am fairly certain he will be well in the morning considering all of the magical teachers here. Now you should be going to sleep.**_

_Okay, good night._

_**Good night Hotaru.**_

**####**

"Blaise, you know something." Pansy said bluntly as soon as she heard the dormitory door close.

"I don't know what you're talking about." Blaise said, feeling a slight flare of heat all over his body.

"I saw the look on your face. You know something, and you know you can't lie to me." Pansy crossed her arms in front of her chest and stared into the eyes of one of her best friends.

"Pansy, look, if I could tell you, I would. Please just trust me when I say I can't." Blaise said, looking from side to side, paranoid that someone was eavesdropping on the conversation.

"Blaise, we never keep secrets from each other. Whatever it is, I promise I won't tell anyone else." Pansy pleaded, putting one arm on Blaise's arm.

"I can't Pansy." He said, looking away from her.

"It's about Hotaru, right?" She asked quietly. Blaise said nothing, and looked down at the ground. "Why can't you tell me?" Her voice was even quieter now, barely a whisper.

The portrait creaked open and Pansy's head snapped in the direction of the noise.

"Hey Draco." Pansy said, her face changing from distraught to perfectly happy. Draco stood in front of the now closed portrait hole, flanked on each side by Crabbe and Goyle.

"Hey Pansy." Draco said, a small hint of a smile on his face as he saw that Hotaru wasn't around. "Crabbe, Goyle, go to bed."

Crabbe and Goyle paused for a moment before hading up the stairs to their room.

"Where were you?" Blaise asked, joining Pansy and Draco.

"Trying to catch a glimpse of the troll." Draco said, shrugging. "I've seen plenty of them, but I wanted to see what kind it was."

"Ugh, I hate trolls." Pansy said, wincing.

"Me too," Draco said, wrinkling his nose in disgust. "Ugly, smelly creatures. And dumb as a rock. Too much strength for their own good too."

"So did you spot it?" Blaise asked curiously. He wasn't too worried about Draco going to see the troll. He wasn't as frail and fragile as Hotaru. Nor was he as reckless, since he did at least take Crabbe and Goyle with him.

"Nah, it wasn't in the dungeons. Stupid teacher probably saw his own shadow and got spooked. It's likely not even in the school." Draco said, with an irritated shrug.

"Oh well." Pansy said, grabbing onto Draco's arm.

"Pansy…" Draco trailed off, looking pointedly at her.

"Oh, sorry." She said, letting go on him.

"We need to get going to bed." Blaise said, hurriedly, glancing at Pansy who glared at him. "Don't we Draco?"

"I guess so Blaise, but what's the rush?" Draco asked, raising an eyebrow.

"I'm just really tired." He said, heading up the stairs. "Good night Pansy." He said, as he disappeared up the stairs.

"That git." Pansy said under her breath.

"What was that Pansy?" Draco asked.

"Oh, nothing. Good night Draco."

"Good night."

**-DREAM-**

_**The brown haired woman, her hair now looking black, was being led down a stone corridor. It was well lit, and almost cheery looking. The woman held her stomach protectively. She looked to be around 6 – 7 months pregnant. The three people with her were noticeably shaken. You could tell they were frightened of the woman with them even through their cloaked bodies and masked faces.**_

"_**Where are you taking me?" The woman asked, her low voice had an air to it that demanded respect. The figures around her grimaced at her voice.**_

"_**W-we are taking you to o-our Lord and Master." Said the male in front. "Th-that is all y-you need know."**_

_**The woman remained silent until they reached a door at the end of the hallway. The door opened, and the woman caught a glimpse of who waited inside. Her breath caught in her throat, tightened with emotion. Anger, love, betrayal, despair, joy. Each emotion more powerful than the previous. **_

"_**Hello–"**_

**-END DREAM-**

The next morning Hotaru slept in a bit later than normal. She'd ignored Pansy hitting her over the head with a pillow out of left over annoyance from the previous night. She knew her friends were only looking out for her, but still. It was weird to her now protective they were.

_**I'm sure they have their reasons,**_ was all Sailor Saturn would say to her when she asked why they were so obsessed with keeping her safe. It didn't seem normal. She tried not to concern herself with it though. Hotaru peeked up from under her pillow. Pansy had thrown it on her head in an attempt to wake her up, but she was already down in the Common Room.

_I guess I should get up. _

_**Well, it is the weekend, so you can stay in a bed a little while longer if you want. You're going to want all the rest you can get to prepare for your training. **_

_Yeah, yeah, training. Sure. _

Hotaru sat up groggily. She hadn't stayed up all _that___late from what she remembered.

_**We need to continue your training as soon as possible. **_

_Why are you getting so pushy about the training?_ Hotaru yawned.

_**Because your body is starting to have problems because of my spirit residing in your body. This tends to happen if the host, -in this case, you- doesn't get adequate training to cope with the changes of the body. That is why you are so tired right now, even though you got the amount of sleep your body would normally require.**_

_What will happen if I don't train enough?_

_**Your body won't be able to deal with the strain, you will fall comatose and possibly die. **_

_Okay, need to train. Got it. _

Hotaru bit her lip. She didn't really like the idea of dying, so she planned to train that night.

_The sooner the better, right?_

_**Right.**_

Hotaru got dressed in a hurry and went downstairs to find Blaise and Pansy already gone to breakfast.

_It must be later than I thought._

**####**

**Whoooo chapter 15! Not too muc happens, but I wanted to get something out. I'm working on the next chapter already, but don't get your hopes up for a fast release. Though, that isn't to say it WON'T be out in the next week or two, but it might not be. School comes first. =) Thank you for the reviews! You guys make me happy even though I suck at updating. I hope you like it!**


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